The Tennysons go east
by doc boy
Summary: On their third summer trip Max decides to take hiis two grandkids to Israel as a vacation and to learn about it's history Please R&R... Thank you...
1. Chapter 1 welcome to Israel

The Tennysons go east

I do not own Ben 10

Note: In case of reference to any country, religion or religious costumes I would like to clarify that I don't mean to offend them or make them look bad. I'm just trying to write a good fic here... so I apologize in advance if someone finds anything in this story offensive.

Just like every year Ben, Gwen and their grandfather are gonna be going on a summer road trip. Only this time it will be different. Very different. Max wanted to take Ben and Gwen to a different country; one he and they had never been to in order to learn about it and its history and to just have a good time; and that country is called Israel. Even though Ben never liked history much he agreed to go because he thought it would be neat and he liked flying over seas…

We rejoin the happy family in the boarding line to the air plane in Bellwood international airport. Once inside they found their seats and sat down. They were on the same row of seats. Ben was next to the window, Gwen was sitting in the middle and Max was next to the aisle. Ben looked around

"Wow this plane is huge" he said in awe

"It's Boeing 777" said Max

"What? How do you know?" asked Ben

"Because it says so, on the safety instructions card" said Max showing them the card. Ben looked to the seat in front of him and picked up the card

"Hey you're right it is a Boeing 777. That's a nice air plane" said Ben

"Yeah. It sure is" said Max and was interrupted by the caption talking on the plane's PA system

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen this is your caption speaking. My name Daniel Levi. On behalf of El-AL travels I would like to welcome you to your nonstop flight to Israel. We will be landing in Ben Gurion international airport and the flight will take about 7 hours. We ask that you please fasten your seat belts and pay attention to the safety video in your private screens and get ready for takeoff, thank you" the PA went silent

It was only now that they noticed the private screens

"A private TV? Cool" said Ben and Gwen at the same time. Before they could get their ear phones the video started and they heard the audio

"Shouldn't we need earphones?' asked Gwen

"I think they put the audio on speakers so that everyone will pay attention to it to ensure as much safety as possible" said Max

"uh huh…" said Gwen

"Why is their airport called Ben Goriun?" asked Ben

"I don't know I think it's a name. I could ask someone when we land"

"Okay" said Ben

"Yeah. You better start chewing your gum by the way. It will help prevent pain in your ears during takeoff and landing"

"Okay" said the two kids

Then the fasten your seat belt sign went on and the plane started to taxi towards the runway

They fastened their seat belts and Gwen asked

"Hey grandpa do you know anyone in Israel?"

"No to be honest that's one place in the world where I don't have friends"

"Really? Why?"

"I don't know. I guess there weren't many alien incidents there so the plumbers didn't think it was necessary to put a base there"

"Ah" said Gwen as the plane reached the runway and started to accelerate and eventually rose up into the air. Shortly afterwards the plane leveled out and the fasten your seat belt sign went off. While ben and Gwen were watching a movie on their private TV Max was reading about Israel in a small booklet in a pocket in the seat in front of him where he found the safety card. Israel seemed to have a very rich history. It said there that the Jews were expelled from their home land at around 70 CE when the second temple was destroyed. The only thing that remains from it is the western wall that used to surround it. The western wall is one of the most religiously important places in Israel and attracts many visitors. The Jews are the only people to return to their home land after 2000 years of exile and rebuild their country. The country's independence was declared by David Ben Goriun on May 14th 1948 resulting in an act of war by the sounding countries. The young state won the war and it ended when the attacking countries signing a cease fire agreement. Ben Goriun later became Israel's prime minster and its main international airport is named after him. Throughout the years Israel has gone through several more wars which have failed to destroy the country. Israel has a parliament-like government and the leader is the prime minister. Even though Israel has a president, his job is mainly for symbolic things.

Max put down the booklet. He wanted to save the rest of the knowledge for the actual trip. Due to the fact that he doesn't speak Hebrew he brought with him an electronic pocket translator to help him communicate with people. While arranging the trip he asked for a travel guide and specifically requested one that speaks English but he still wanted a pocket translator just in case and for talking to other people who didn't know English very well.

Max decided to go to sleep so he reclined his seat and was soon overcome by a deep slumber.

Throughout the flight the trio, along with the rest of the passengers have received breakfast and lunch and when they finally landed they were ready to go and explore a whole new country. After they went through passport inspection and collected their luggage they walked into a huge reception hall

"Wow. Nice hall" said Ben looking around

Once they got out of the building they got into a cab and Max asked the driver to take them to the crown plaza hotel in Hertzelia which is one of Israel's cities.

They got into the cab and shortly after they got out of the parking lot they heard someone say something on the radio in Hebrew

"Moshe et mi ata lokeikh?"

All they could make out of that sentence was the word Moshe which they assumed was a name

The driver picked up the microphone and said

"Ani lokeikh shlosha anashim lmalon crown plaza behhertzeliia"

"Sbaba. Titkasher ali ksehtigmor"

"Okay" said the driver and hung up

"That was the cab station manager in case you were wondering. He askedme who I was taking so I told him I was taking you three to the crown plaza hotel" said the driver with a Hebrew accent

"Yeah I was wondering about that" said Max

"My name's Moshe by the way. So what brings you to Israel?"

"My name is Max and these are my grandchildren Ben and Gwen. We wanted to come to Israel just for the fun of it and to learn about its history. I heard this country is very historical"

"Yes Israel does have a lot of historical value and places. One place I would recommend for you to visit is the western wall which is also known as the Wailing Wall.

"Yeah I read about it" said Max

"It's a nice place. You can sense the religious atmosphere when you walk there"

"You know for an Israeli your English is pretty good" said Gwen. She could see him smiling in the rear view mirror

"Thanks. But it's not that uncommon for cab drivers who work at the airport area. You kinda learn the language along with the job"

About after an hour of driving they arrived at the hotel. Much to Ben and Gwen's embarrassment they had to share a room and max had his own. He said he did it on purpose because he wanted them to learn how to get along better. Besides, aside from their rooms the hotel was booked so they didn't have much of a choice. The two rooms were placed next door and when the two cousins opened the door they saw there was only one double bed and a couch. They both ran towards it and with Gwen getting there first.

"Ha! I get the bed!"

"No fair I wasn't ready!" said Ben

"You snooze you lose Ben" said Gwen with an evil grin

"Come on I saw it first" said Ben and tried to pull Gwen off the bed and she pulled him back in attempt to release her hand but instead caused something else completely. Ben fell on top of her with his face very close to hers. Their lips were mere inches from each other. When they finally realized what happened they immediately separated and apologized profusely. They then sat with their backs opposite to each other and were blushing hard. After a few minutes of awkward silence they began to unpack their suitcases and once done they noticed it was 6.30 PM. In about half an hour grandpa Max is gonna call them down for dinner. Until that happened they decided to take a nap with their backs still facing each other. At about 7 o'clock their grandfather knocked on their door calling them for dinner and they exited the room and went down stairs with their grandfather in a very awkward silence…

To be continued…

Well? What do you think? Pretty interesting huh? Did you like it? Did you dislike it? Did you like it even more? Please tell me what you think on your reviews on your way out…

Thank you….

PS: I would appreciate it if some of you would tell me in your reviews if you think people would find this plot appealing and if it's a good idea to write it.

Thanks again…


	2. Chapter 2 take in the sights

Chapter 2 take in the sights

It was three in the morning and the two cousins were lying in bed and for once, trying not to fall asleep. Max has warned them about jet lag and advised them to stay up as late as they could to adapt to the time zone change a little faster. Twenty minutes later they were both comatose and were woken up by Grandpa Max at eight o'clock in the morning.

"Ugh… I'm tired let me sleep a little longer…" groaned Ben

"What time is it?" groaned Gwen

"It's eight o'clock. Breakfast ends in an hour. I thought you might want to get some food; you can rest more after we eat. Our tour starts at one PM.

"Okay…" groaned the two kids and got up to join their grandfather and went down to eat some breakfast. By the time breakfast was over the two cousins and their grandfather was asleep again, only to wake up again at twelve o'clock. Now that they had a total of about eight hours of sleep if you count breakfast and they felt a little bit better but still sleepy. The three tourists got up and got ready for their tour. At twelve fifty they went downstairs to the lobby and waited for their tour guide. At around one o'clock a man of about thirty or late twenties with short brown hair walked into the lobby and came up to Max.

"Max Tennyson?" he asked

"Yes that's me and these are my grandkids Ben and Gwen" said Max as the two kids waved

"I'm Michael Cohen. Nice to meet you"

"Nice to meet you too" said Max

"So shall we start the tour?"

"Sure" said Max as they joined him and they all got into his car which was a family minivan.

Michael started the van and drove off and said

"So what brings to Israel?"

"Just a family vacation and a chance to get a little history"

"I can relate. This country is very historical. there's a lot of interesting stuff to see here"

"One would assume" said Max

"One of the most historical cities is of course Jerusalem which is where we are headed now"

"Is there anything interesting to see in Hertzelia?"

"In terms of history not really. it's a nice looking city but it doesn't have much historical background except for the fact it's named after Binyamin Zeaev Hertzel who was the person who came up with the vision of the rebirth of Israel" said Michael as he turned the steering wheel and the car entered the highway

"What was his story?" asked Gwen

"Don't remember much about him. I don't normally give tours in Hertzelia so I don't want to give you wrong information"

"I see" said Gwen

There was a short silence which was broken by Michael asking

"So where are you guys from?"

"Bellwood" said Ben

"In Illinois?" asked Michael

"Yeah" answered Ben

"Nice. I've been to Illinois once. I was in Chicago. Beautiful place. Very friendly people"

"Yeah I like that place" said Gwen

"We all do" said Max

Before long they have reached Jerusalem which looked a little different than Hertzelia which had lot of skyscrapers and looked more stylish.

"Why do the buildings here look different?" asked Gwen

"Different style I guess. Plus it's much older than some of the other cities and I don't think sky scrapers suit it very much"

"Uh huh…" said Gwen as they passed by a gas station and saw a big white hanging bridge ahead of them, supported by a tall bar with strings attached to it supporting the bridge itself, making it look a little bit like a harp

"Ooh… that's a nice bridge… its beautiful" said Gwen

"That bridge is actually part of the new light rail system we have; it's called the cord bridge. The program has been talked about for years and the building work caused a lot of headaches for people downtown, it still does though even though it's complete. It was supposed to make public transportation easier but it didn't work out very well" said Michael as they stopped at a traffic light

"Why not?" asked Gwen

"I don't know. I guess they didn't do it properly"

"When did they start using it?" asked Max

"Last January so it was almost a year ago"

"Nice" said Max

"If you're lucky we might see it ride on the bridge" and sure enough they were when they heard a few bell dings and saw a train go on the bridge

"There we go" said Michael

"That's a nice one" said Gwen

"Cool" mentioned Ben

"It's beautiful. All nice and shiny" said Max admiring the beauty of the shiny train go over the bridge as the traffic light turned green. Shortly afterwards they were driving on a road with several shops on the sidewalk and one big building with shiny blue windows and big clock.

"That is Jerusalem's central bus station. It's where you can take buses to different parts of the country" said Michael

"It's nice" said Gwen

"Yeah it's a pretty one" said Michael as they drove on. Before long they were passing by a building designed like no other building the Tennysons have seen before. It was a brown and beige rectangular building with supporting columns outside of it supporting a roof that was bigger than the building itself.

"That my friends; is the Israeli parliament known as the Knesset. It is named after the great Knesset of Israel that used to judge people during the time of the second temple and it had one hundred and twenty judges. So our Knesset is named after it and has one hundred and twenty ministers like the old one had the same number of judges. Like you have requested over the phone I made reservations for a tour for us. So I'm gonna park the car and we'll go get in line" said Michael

After ten minutes of walking they have entered the security checkup zone and once cleared they walked towards the Israeli parliament ready to take a tour they will never forget…

To be continued…

Well? What do you think? Pretty interesting huh? Did you like it? Did you dislike it? Did you like it even more? Please tell me what you think on your reviews on your way out…

PS: I will also appreciate it if you tell me if you want me to continue telling Israel's history through this story because that was part of the original plan. If you don't want to you can tell me and I'll try to cut down on the history part a bit.

Thank you…


	3. Chapter 3 History

Chapter 3 History

Once the group has entered the Knesset, they saw a big hall with marble walls with different doors.

"Wow… this place is amazing…" said Gwen

"It's beautiful…" said Ben

"Yeah it's one of the prettiest buildings around" said Michael

"If you'll follow me you'll see many doors leading to many conference rooms, each room holds a different committee like the science and technology committee, the finance committee, the foreign affairs and defense committee and many more. This building was built in 1966 and up until then the discussions were held in a building on King George St. downtown. The first Knesset was convened in February 14th 1949. As I said our system of government is of a parliament so when the elections start we vote to a certain party hoping the head of that party will become prime minister…"

"Uh excuse me? Michael?" Gwen politely interrupted raising her hand

"Does Israel also have a president or only a prime minster?"

"We have both but in our system government the president is like the vice president of the United States; he doesn't have many authorities and his jobs are mostly symbolic…" explained Michael

"Interesting" said Gwen

"Now if you'll follow me this way we'll watch a short video explaining the history of the Knesset and the state of Israel and then we'll visit the Knesset chamber where the discussions are being held" said Michael as the group followed…

Several hours later…

"That was so interesting…" said Gwen

"It was fascinating…" said Max

"Yeah even I enjoyed it" said Ben as they were leaving the Knesset and getting into Michael's car

"So where do we go now?" asked Max

"Now we go eat lunch and then we go to the Dead Sea" said Michael

"Ooh…" replied the group in excitement

To be continued…

Sorry it was so short.

Did you like it? Did you dislike it? Did you like it even more? Please tell me what you think on your reviews on your way out…

Thank you…


	4. Chapter 4 the sea is dead

Chapter 4 the sea is dead

After eating lunch at Burger's bar the gang got into Michael's car and headed for the dead sea. As they approached the area the terrain outside became more desert like.

"Michael is it true that the dead sea is the lowest place on Earth?" Asked Gwen from the back seat

"It is the lowest place in land. 427 meters (or 1,401 ft) below sea level to be exact"

"Wow! That really is so low..." said Gwen

"That's one of the things it's known for" mentioned Michael

"What else can you tell us about the dead sea?"

"It has a high density of sea water in it making swimming in it a little like floating. It is 9.6 times as salty as the ocean which means life cannot flourish there. That's why it's called the dead sea or' Yam hamelach' in Hebrew which means `Sea of salt'. The water in the dead sea is said to have healing abilities which is why some factories extract the water to make different creams and cosmetics out of it"

"When was the dead sea formed?" Asked Ben

" The dead sea was formed several million years ago by a geological event in the area. I'm not an expert in geology so I can't give you an exact answer..." said Michael as they pulled up in a parking lot.

"We're here" he said as he lifted the handbrake and turned off the car.

"Wow..." said Gwen as she looked out the window with her hands on it. They gazed at a crystal blue lake with the Jordan mountains on the other side

"There are bathrooms over there where you can change into your swimsuits" said Michael as he pointed at a nearby building.

"Race you to the beach Ben!" Yelled Gwen as she ran out of the car

"No fair! You had a dead start" Ben raced after her as Max and Michael chuckled at the bickering kids

"They're a spirited bunch.. " said Michael

"Yeah... they don't show it much but they really care about each other despite the bickering..."

"Yeah that happens sometimes..." said Michael in understanding as Max nodded with agreement

"You got kids?" He asked and turned to look at him

"I have a little girl and another one on the way" said Michael as he faced his white haired companion

"Nice" said Max

"Yeah" said Michael as they watched the kids run out of the dressing rooms in their bathing suits.

"Lets go" said Max as the two exited the car and followed the two kids

"I win!" Yelled Gwen as she got into the water a second before Ben did

"Luck..." muttered Ben as Gwen laughed

"Come in Ben. Ease up a little..." she said and gave him a peck on the cheek which made him redder than Jordanian mountains behind them. Gwen leaned backwards and tried to float

"Hey you gotta try this! You can actually float here..." beamed Gwen is Ben tried his luck

"Ahh... this is so relaxing..." he said as they floated next to each other. Without noticing Ben's hand found its way to Gwen's and intertwined with it. They looked at each other and smiled as they started blush. They released each other's hands and returned their gaze to the sky...

"Hey Gwen?" Ben called out

"Hmm?"

"Thanks for the kiss..." he smiled at her as their faces turned red again...

To be continued...

The doc boy is back! I hope you like it. Even though this is mainly an historic and cultural story I'm thinking of still putting a little bwen here and there...

Don't forget to review!


	5. Chapter 5 feelings and emotions

Chapter 5 feelings and emotions...

The ride back to the hotel was an awkward one for the kids. They sat in the back seat silently as they drove down the highway

"You kids okay back there?" Asked Max from the front of the car

"Yeah" said Ben

"We're just tired Grandpa..." added his cousin while avoiding his gaze. Their faces were a deep shade of red and the awkwardness in the air was so thick you could almost breathe it

_"Oh... why did I have to kiss him? He's my geeky cousin Ben. If I would still be ten I'd never do that. So why did I do it? It felt both pleasant and weird at the same time... what does that mean? Am I actually starting to develop romantic feelings for my doofus cousin?..." _

It was then that Gwen finally came to terms with her emotions...

_"There's no denying it... I've fallen in love with my own cousin... Ben Tennyson..." _ as soon as she thought these words she sighed happily and closed her eyes...

_"I don't get it... why did her kiss feel so good and heartwarming? It's as if I've been waiting for this for a long time... every time I see her smile I'm overwhelmed with a feeling of warmth and happiness and butterflies in my stomach. Could I have actually fallen in love with my dweeb of a cousin?..." _

It was then that realization has finally dawned upon him and he realized that he does love her. He sighed happily as he closed hid eyes and leaned his head on the door of the car...

Hours pass...

After eating a delicious dinner the Tennysons decided to go straight to bed. But when it was time to crawl in Ben and Gwen looked at each other from either side of the bed with their faces red as a tomato. Eventually they got in bed with their backs facing each other. When the silence became unbearable Ben turned to his cousin and spoke up

"Why did you kiss me today when we were at the beach?"

Gwen's face reddenend. She thought she might as well tell him straight out and be done with it. If she's lucky he feelings might be returned...

After a long and eerie silence she answered him

"Because I love you..." she said simply as she turned to face him, their lips mere centimetres away from each other...

"You mean... as a cousin?" Ben asked hopefully

"No I mean more than just a cousin. I'm crazy about you Ben. You're the light in my darkness; you're the one who always makes me happy and comforts me when I'm sad... I love you Ben..." Gwen said happily as her face got closer to his

"I love you too Gwen. Whenever I see you I'm overwhelmed with feelings of warmth and happiness and I feel butterflies in my stomach... Gwen you're the girl for me..." he said with a smile as he closed the gap between them with his lips. At that moment the two youngsters were struck with feelings of warmth, happiness and exhilaration. They wrapped their arms around each other's necks as the kiss continued filling them with feelings of warmth and happiness as tingly feelings and shivers ran down their spines...

Once they had to breathe they separated from the kiss and embrace and cuddled up in bed as Gwen rested her head on Ben's chest

"I love you..." said Gwen as Ben leaned over and kissed her on the lips

"I love you too..." he said and tightened the embrace around her as they slowly drifted to sleep...

To be continued...

I decided to take a break from the history lesson and put in some been fluff for a change. I hope you like it...

Please review...


	6. Chapter 6 Jerusalem

Chapter 6 Jerusalem

The next morning the two cousins ate breakfast in silence to their grandfather's surprise. Without him noticing they held hands under the table as they ate

"So where are we going today?" Asked Ben

"Jerusalem" replied Max

"Cool" said Gwen. She always wanted to go to Jerusalem.

After they finished eating they met up with their tour guide and got into his car and headed for Israel's capital. Their fist stop was the Israel museum.

While riding in the car on the highway the Tennysons sat in silence as they admired the view that passed by them. At a certain point Gwen spoke up

"Hey Michael?"

"Yeah?"

"What is there to see at the Israel musuem?"

"A lot of stuff. They have archeological exhibits; they have paintings and some other stuff. They also have the remains of the dead sea scrolls"

"What are the dead sea scrolls?" Asked Ben

"They're archeological artifacts. They include the earliest known surviving manuscripts of works later included in the Hebrew Bible Canon. They also include extra biblical manuscripts which preserve evidence of the diversity of religious thought in late Second Temple Judaism"

"Wow that's amazing! That means they must about two thousand years old by now" said Gwen

"That's right"

"Where were they discovered?" Asked Ben

"Inside a few caves about a mile inland from the northwest shore of the dead sea. That's why they're named after it" said Michael

"And they're in the Israel museum?" Asked Max as Michael was parking the car

"Yep. The thing is that due to their age they need to be kept in special conditions in order to be preserved properly. They're stored in that white dome you see over there" said Michael as he pointed at a big white dome at the yard of the museum.

"What's with the water sprinklers?" Asked Ben

"That's for maintaining humidity inside the dome. It helps preserve the scrolls" said Michael as he shut down the car and everyone got out...

Turns out some of the exhibits were so interesting even Ben enjoyed himself. In fact after their tour was over he bought a refrigerator magnet and a T shirt was the picture of the dome on them as a souvenir.

After resting a little at the cafeteria they went on to the science museum which was not far away.

Being a science fan and the wielder of the Omnitrix, Ben found the museum very enjoyable. They had exhibits about physics, electricity and a bunch of other cool stuff. He was enjoying himself so much they had to talk him into leaving...

"Well, where to?" Asked Gwen once they left the museum

"From here we go to the western wall. Also known as the wailing wall" said Michael

"Sweet!" said Ben and Gwen at the same time and gave each other a fist bump

Max chuckled at the sight as they walked to the car...

_"They're finally growing on each other..." _he thought happily

To be continued...

Well what do you think? Pretty interesting huh? Did you like it? Did you dislike it? Did you like it even more?

Please tell me what you think on _your_ reviews on your way out...

Thank you...


	7. Chapter 7 the Wailing Wall

Chapter 7 the Wailing Wall

The gang was riding in Michael's car down the streets of Jerusalem. Before long they reached the old city which surrounds the Wailing Wall.

"Why do these buildings look older than the rest of the city?" asked Ben

"This is the old city. Until the 1860 it consisted of the entire city of Jerusalem, circled by a wall. But that changed when they built the first neighborhood outside the walls. A neighborhood called 'Mishkenut Sha'ananim'. You must realize that back then building a neighborhood outside the safety of the walls surrounding the city was unheard of. Not to mention dangerous. But over the years more neighborhoods followed until Jerusalem became what it is today" said Michael

"I heard that until 1967 the old city was off limits for the Israeli people. Is that true?" asked Gwen

"Yes. During the war of independence in 1948 the old city was captured by Jordan. But during the six day war in 1967 we captured it back from them and people from all religions were able to enter it freely" said Michael as the group pulled into a parking lot and got ready to leave the car. Once Michael shut off the engine, they unbuckled their seatbelts and headed for the Wailing Wall. They walked up the hill, waiting to see the holiest religious Jewish site

"How old are your grandkids?" Michael asked Max

"Thirteen" he answered

"They seem to be pretty good friends" said Michael as he looked behind him to see the two kids laughing together

"Yeah. You should have seen them a few years ago. Back then they used to bicker a lot. Although they rarely showed it they still cared about each other even then. I'm glad they finally learned to get along"

"Yeah I can imagine" said Michael

The gang walked on for a few more minutes before they reached a line leading up to security check. Once it was their turn they emptied out their pockets and put their belongings on the guard's desk. Once cleared, they went through and entered a big plaza where the Wailing Wall stood. When they reached it they saw people stand before it in prayer

"This is the western wall; the holiest place in Judaism. It used to be part of the western wall that surrounded the second temple that was believed to have been constructed around 19 BCE by Herod the great but recent discoveries indicate that construction wasn't finished during his lifetime. While the first and second temple existed they were the holiest place in Judaism. But when the second temple was destroyed the western wall was all that was left and it became the holiest place in Judaism and it will remain that way until the third temple will be built according to some people's beliefs"

"And when will that be and what happened to the first two temples? Why were they destroyed?" asked Gwen

"It is said that the first two temples were destroyed because of unjustified hatred between Jews and because people said bad things about each other behind their backs. The Jewish religion doesn't like those kinds of things and encourages for acceptance of other people. Regarding the third temple, no one knows when it will be built. One thing that we probably know for sure is that when it will be built the third temple will stay forever and will not be destroyed. At least that's what the prophecies say. But there is an organization that dedicates itself to fulfill that prophecy. They even built one of the tools used in the previews temples so it can be used in the third one when the time is right"

"Where is it?" asked Ben

"Nearby. We'll get to it soon" said Michael as he approached the wall as the gang followed

"Another thing you should know is that there is a custom that people write prayers on pieces of paper and stick them between the cracks in the wall hoping they will be fulfilled"

"Interesting" said Max as Michael led them to where the temple tool was held. It was placed on a balcony not far from the wall down below

"This is the 'Menorah'" said Michael as he extended his arm at the object placed inside a bullet proof container

"The menorah is a seven lamp, six branch lampstand made of pure gold. Fresh olive oil of the purest quality was burned in it on a daily basis to light its lamps. The menorah has been a symbol of Judaism since ancient times and is the emblem on the coat of arms of the modern state of Israel" explained Michael as the crowd admired its beauty and took a few pictures with their cameras

"This is going straight to the scrapbook…" whispered Gwen to Ben and winked at him while Ben nodded with a small smile in return

By the time the gang returned to the hotel the sun was setting and dinner was about to start

"Well I hope you guys enjoyed this tour of Jerusalem. Tomorrow is a long day. We're gonna drive all the way down to Eilat to see the underwater observatory" said Michael

"Where's Eilat?" asked Ben slightly puzzled

"It's the most southern city in Israel; next to the Egyptian border. It's about a four hour drive from Jerusalem so we have to leave early…"

"Four hours?! Aww man…" moaned Ben as Michael walked towards the elevator

"I'm sorry but I couldn't afford to pay for extra flights so we'll have to drive" said Max

"Don't worry Ben you can take a nap while we're driving there…" said Gwen in an attempt to cheer him up as she put a hand on his shoulder

"Yeah there's an idea…" said Ben sarcastically as Gwen smiled at him

"Hey guys do you mind if I ask you something?" Max budded in breaking the kids' trance. They turned to look at him

"Why have you two been so affectionate lately?"

The two cousins exchanged nervous looks

"I don't know… I guess we just learned how to get along…" said Ben nervously as he scratched the back of his head and chuckled

"Uh huh… well it's nice to see you two have become friends; just don't become a couple on me…" said Max as he walked away. The two cousins exchanged nervous looks

"You think he knows?" asked Gwen

"He might. We better keep it low profile from now on…" said Ben

"I'll try; at least when he's around. But no bickering because that would look more suspicious" replied Gwen

"Agreed"

Gwen simply smiled at him and gave him a kiss on the cheek

"Thanks Ben" she said as she headed for the spa. Ben simply stood there slightly shocked by the gesture of affection she just showed as his cheeks turned a slight shade of pink. He smiled as he took the elevator up to his room…

To be continued…

Well I hope you liked it. Sorry I took so long with this one…

Don't forget to review… נקךןקכ some people'sbee'sbeliefnd it will remain that way until the third temple will be built according to some people'sbelief


	8. Chapter 8 good night

Chapter 8 good night

It was five minutes to eight and dinner was about to start in five minutes. Max made his way to his grandkids' hotel room door and knocked on it. To his surprise the door wasn't completely closed and slightly slid open. He peaked into the room to find it mostly dark

"Kids?" he whispered as he entered the room. He walked into it to find his two grandchildren sleeping beside each other on the double bed with Gwen's head on Ben's shoulder. Max's lips formed into a warm happy smile. He didn't have the heart to wake them up so he went to eat dinner by himself. Just as he left the room the two kids cuddled in their sleep without him noticing

Time: Wednesday 2:00 AM

Ben woke up to see his girlfriend who happened to be his cousin sleeping beside him. He smiled warmly at the sight thinking she was cute when she was asleep. He gently got out of bed trying not to wake her up. When he did he covered her up with a blanket and gave her a kiss on her head to which she smiled. He then went to bathroom to drink a glass of water. When he came back he was surprised to see a white flash of light in the sky followed by a loud rumble

"What the heck?..." he mumbled as he walked to the big door window leading to the porch with an empty glass in his hand

"Wha?..." muttered Gwen as she woke up and rubbed her eyes

"Oh sorry Gwen… I didn't mean to wake you up" said Ben as he turned to look at her

"No that's okay…" she said tiredly and yawned

"What's going on?"

"There seems to be a thunder storm outside" said Ben

"A thunder storm? In the summer? I thought Israel has a two season climate. They don't have this kind of weather in the summer…" said Gwen with a confused tone as she joined Ben next to the window

"Maybe this is an exception" said Ben

"Maybe" agreed Gwen as another crash of lightning appeared followed by a crash of thunder

"Oh… I hate thunder…" muttered Gwen as Ben wrapped his arm around her

"Don't worry Gwen, it's just thunder it can't hurt you…" he reassured her

Gwen nodded nervously as she let out a big yawn

"I'm going back to bed. Goodnight Ben" she said

"Goodnight" he replied and stood there for a few minutes more. When he was tired of watching the storm he went back to bed as well. To his concern Gwen was shaking in fear every time the thunder crashed.

"Oh… why won't it stop?..." she wined as she sat up in bed. She then felt Ben wrap his arm around her again and she rested her head on his shoulder

"I hate storms…" she said softly

"I know Gwen… I know… but we're safe here. No mean lightning can hurt here…" he reassured here which appeared to work a little bit

"Still, the sound of the lightning always scares me. Especially when it's loud…" complained the redhead

Ben thought for a moment and planted a kiss on her cheek

"It'll be okay Gwen. It'll die down soon"

All Gwen could do was smile at him

"Thanks for cheering me up Ben"

"Anything for my doofus cousin…" teased Ben and Gwen chuckled

"Dweeb…" she smirked and flicked his nose as the two kids laughed

"Well I'm going to sleep. Goodnight Ben" said Gwen who finally managed to relax and lay back down on the pillow

"Goodnight…" said Ben as the two kids drifted into a peaceful sleep as the storm slowly died down…

To be continued…

I decided to add a little bwen to the story. I hope you like it.

Doc boy out


	9. Chapter 9 heading south

Chapter 9 heading south

It was eleven in the morning and the gang checked out of their hotel and was climbing into Michael car while loading with their suitcases. Once done, they got in' ignited the car and headed for high 90 that would take them to Eilat…

Before long, Ben was getting bored so he reached for his backpack and took out one of his comic books and started reading while Gwen sat quietly while looking out the window. After a while the two kids decided to take a nap

Hours pass…

The kids woke up to find the vehicle stationary and that Michael was gone. They got up and rubbed their eyes and looked around. Gwen saw Michael standing outside the car filling it was gas. She yawned loudly and asked her grandfather where they were

"We're in the Negev desert. We're about two hundred Kilometers from Eilat"

"When do you think we're gonna be there"

"Maybe in two hours…" guessed Max

Gwen sighed in frustration as she leaned back in her seat waiting for Michael to come back. She looked to her right to look at her cousin who happened to be looking back at her

"Did you sleep well?" she asked

Ben yawned loudly and said

"For someone who was sitting up the whole time yes I have" Gwen nodded in acknowledgment and turned to face her grandfather again

"Hey grandpa is there a chance we could start our tour of Eilat tomorrow? Ben and I are kinda tired from the ride. I think it would be better if we just rest today"

"That's the plan. I already spoke to Michael about it when you were asleep"

"Good"

After a few moments Michael got back into the car and they drove off. As an attempt to try and pass the time more quickly Gwen suggested that she and Ben play cards to which he agreed

"Got any threes?" he asked after a while

"Go fish" she said

More hours pass…

After several hours of being surrounded by desert terrain as far as the eye can see, the group finally entered Eilat. One of the first thing they passed by was an airport to be followed by a series of hotels. A few minutes later they left through the other side of the city and parked outside a more isolated hotel on looking the red sea

"Welcome to the princess hotel" said Michael as the family gazed at the big building

"That's a nice one…" noted Gwen

"Sure is" agreed her cousin as they removed their gaze from the hotel and got out of the car so they could unpack…

Half an hour lator the kids entered their room which was once again next door to Max's

Ben whistled loudly upon entering their suite

"This is a nice one…" he noted as they looked around. Inside the room was a sofa in front of a TV, a nice kitchen, a bed room and two bathrooms. When the two kids saw there was only one bed their faces turned red. Knowing what the other was thinking the two stood there in an awkward silence until one of them found the courage to speak

"Should we share the bed or should one of us sleep on the couch?" asked Gwen

"I can't sleep on the couch because it's not comfortable for me" said Ben

"For me neither"

"So maybe we'll just share the bed. If grandpa asks we'll just tell him we can't sleep on the couch and we don't mind sharing the bed"

"You sure he's gonna buy the 'not minding part'? He's used to seeing us bicker" said Gwen

Ben shrugged at the question

"I dunno. He saw we're friendlier now so maybe he will buy it"

"Well okay. But no funny stuff" warned his red haired cousin

"Fair enough" agreed her cousin as they entered the bed room and began to unpack. Once done they turned on the TV to see if there was anything good on. Ben hit a random number on the remote, in this case twenty two and was directed to the said channel. The hour was four forty five and the news was just about to start

"Hey check it out Gwen. Israeli news" said Ben as he pointed at the screen. Since the two kids didn't understand Hebrew they changed the channel a few times until they found a movie channel and decided to settle with it.

After a while Max knocked on the door and opened it with an extra key he was given

"Hey kids"

"Hey grandpa"

"I was thinking you guys would want to go to the pool downstairs. You interested?"

"Sure why not?" said Gwen as the two kids got ready and Max left the room. Several minutes later the two kids were riding down the elevator in their swimsuits. Once they reached the ground floor they headed for the pool

"Cannon ball!" yelled Gwen as she jumped into the pool to be followed by her cousin. When they reached the surface they spat the water from their mouths and began a swimming race. While the kids played in the pool Max sat on a folding chair drinking a soda while he watched them play…

_"I have a feeling they're becoming more than just friends…"_ he suspected

To be continued…

Well I hope you like it.

Reviews are most welcome


	10. Chapter 10 under the sea

Chapter 10 under the sea

The next day the group decided to go to the underwater observatory followed by scuba diving for the two kids. The observatory was a few minutes away from the hotel and once there the gang spent the next hour looking at the fish…

Ben was standing with his hands and face on the glass and was making faces at the fish  
>"Nyaaah… puff…" he sneered and the stuck his tongue out at them<p>

"Trying to annoy the fish Ben?" asked his cousin as she came by

"You could say that. Look at that eel. Is he ugly or what?"

"Not as ugly as Vilgax…"

"Yeah squid face's ugliness cannot be topped" agreed the boy as he continued making faces and sounds at the fish

"Have fun Ben…" said Gwen and walked away.

Twenty minutes later the gang left the fish tank and walked around the rest of the area to find a few more fish tanks and a ride called 'the oceanariuem'. When they entered it they figured they're gonna watch a movie and for a while they did. It was about a submarine but when it turned into an airplane (nobody knows how), the chairs started to move and shake as if they were the crew on board. Ben was having the time of his life but Gwen was getting a little nuances. When it was over the Tennysons rode in Michael's car to the beach so that the kids could get ready for an hour of scuba diving. When they had all the proper gear on they walked into the water and gradually adapted to breathing under water with the help of an oxygen tank and a mask. Once ready they dived in and began to swim. Turns out the red sea floor is filled with rocks and plants. The kids swam in front of the instructor as fish passed them by. One of them tickled Ben's stomach and he laughed contently releasing a mouthful of bubbles which made Gwen smile in amusement. While Gwen and the instructor were ahead of him, Ben spotted a picked flower on the sea floor. He realized it didn't belong there because it looked like a land flower so he figured someone must have thrown it in. He knew taking souvenirs from the sea floor was forbidden but since this flower didn't belong there in the first place he figured it was okay to take it. So when he made sure no one was looking, he picked it up and gently stuffed it in the pocket of his swimming trunks only to be given later to a very special person. Ben smiled under his mask as he swam to catch up with his cousin…

Later that evening after dinner the two cousins each took a shower in turn and watched TV together. It was then that Ben remembered the flower he found earlier and decided now would be a good time to give to the said person. So he got up from the couch and reached for his backpack. He took out the flower and held it in his palm. He sat down beside his cousin who was too focused on the movie they were watching to notice him shuffling about

"Gwen?" he said as she turned to look at him

"I got something for you" he said and blushed nervously as he opened his palm to reveal a yellow rose resting in it. Gwen's favorite

Her eyes lit up with happiness

"Oh thank you Ben!" she said happily and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek

"That's so sweet of you" she said with joy as she inhaled the scent of the flower and sighed with pleasure

"I found it while we were scuba diving and you thought you might like it so I saved it for you…" Ben said with a nervous shrug as he blushed. Gwen simply smiled at him and leaned forward and planted a kiss on his lips which he returned

"Thank you…" she said

"You're welcome…" he smiled at her after they parted.

They continued to watch the movie with Ben's arm around his cousin's shoulder

"Hey Ben?"

"Hmm?"

"You're cute when you blush…" she said and gave him a kiss on the cheek as he smiled at her…

Another bwen, another chapter…

I hope you guys are enjoying the romance.

Don't forget to review…

Thank you…


	11. Chapter 11 Masada

Chapter 11 Masada

The next morning the gang met with Michael after breakfast

"Today is gonna be the last day of our tour. We're gonna visit Masada which is in the desert. Are you guys ready?"

The group nodded in agreement and so they got into Mike's car and they were off. After about two hours of driving the gang arrived at a mountain ridge which seemed pretty ordinary. Once the car stopped they got out and stood at the foot of the mountain and Michael began to speak.

"This is Masada. It is an ancient fortification in the Southern District of Israel situated on top of an isolated rock plateau (akin to a mesa) on the eastern edge of the Judaean Desert, overlooking the Dead Sea. Herod the Great built palaces for himself on the mountain and fortified Masada between 37 and 31 BCE. According to Josephus, the Siege of Masada by troops of the Roman Empire towards the end of the First Jewish–Roman War ended in the mass suicide of the 960 Sicarii rebels and their families hiding there. If you follow me, we'll climb up the mountain and walk around the fort. As a grand finale for this trip we will do skydiving above this area, giving a beautiful view of the fort, the desert and the Dead Sea"

"Sweet!" said the kids and gave each other a high five as they began their climb. Given the fact that the mountain is pretty steep the climb was pretty difficult. Most of it was walking on a spiral which surrounds the mountain but there was some rock climbing to the spirals above as well. While walking the two kids were behind the two adults and were chatting away to pass the time and having an occasional laugh. Grandpa Max looked behind his shoulder to look at them and frowned at their unusually friendly and close behavior. He knew something was up and he was determined to find out what. After a while they had to do some more rock climbing. The two adults got up first and continued walking while Ben and Gwen were climbing up a bunch of rocks. Just as Ben made it up Gwen tripped on a ledge which fell off the mountain and she was hanging from the side of the mountain by grabbing onto a single rock. She screamed in terror as Ben rushed to her aide and the two adults rushed to help

"Ben! Help!" she cried in distress. Ben set himself on the ground and reached his hand for her. Gwen looked down in fear knowing she would die if she falls. Only Ben's voice calling her was able to make her pull her eyes away from the deep fall below

"Gwen! Give me your hand!" he yelled. With a slight effort and sheer terror of falling Gwen stretched her arm towards Ben's hand and managed to grab it

"Don't worry Gwen I got you… hang on…" yelled Gwen as he struggled to pull his cousin up the hill. Finally he managed to get her to safety and they both sat on the road panting as they sighed with relief. When they finally caught their breath Ben asked

"You okay Gwen?"

"Yeah…" she said as she breathed heavily

"Thanks" she added as Ben nodded at her still trying to catch his breath.

Overcome by adrenaline and being caught up in the moment Gwen cupped her cousins cheeks and kissed squarely on the mouth. At that moment Max and Michael showed up to see the unusual scene. After a few seconds Max was the first to get over the shock and cleared his throat loudly to catch their attention. Upon hearing his voice the two kids separated and gasped in shock as they saw their grandfather look at them with his arms crossed and looked slightly mad

"You kids mind telling me what just happened?" he asked

The two kids looked at each other nervously and then at the two adults. Their eyes eventually rested on Michael who looked slightly shocked but didn't know what to say. They knew they had to give an explanation but they didn't want to do it while Michael was around. Eventually Gwen spoke

"We'll give you an explanation but we prefer to do it in private. We'll tell you later…"

"You'd better. And I hope that kiss was a thank you one and not something else. If I haven't paid and reserved those tickets for the skydiving I would have cancelled it. But given the circumstances we'll do it anyway. Once we're done with that we have a few hours till our flight home leaves. I hope you two have a good explanation…" said the man as he turned around and walked on. Ben noticed he had his hand clutched in fists as he walked which he doesn't normally do. The kids sighed sadly as they walked on. Suddenly the rest of the trip didn't seem as exciting as it did five minutes ago. Not even the skydiving part…

For the rest of the climb the two kids were mostly silent except for when Gwen spoke up briefly

"I'm sorry I kissed you like that Ben. Because of me our secret is out and we might get separated…"

"It's not your fault Gwen. We would have been found out sooner or later…"

Gwen nodded sadly as Ben wrapped his arm around her shoulder

"Cheer up. It's gonna be okay" he said as she smiled sadly at him as they did the rest of climbing in silence…

To be continued…

Well this is an unfortunate and unexpected development. Let's hope they will get out of it…

Stay tuned for the rest of the story and don't forget to review…

Thank you…


	12. Chapter 12 the big jump

Chapter 12 the big jump

The gang explored the fort in silence while the kids looked slightly depressed. After they climbed down they drove to a nearby air field and geared up for their skydiving. Each individual was teamed up with an instructor and before long it was time to go. The group climbed into the back of a small plane and before long they were up in the air. The adults sat in the back while the kids sat beside each other in the front still feeling a little sad. Shortly before the jump was due Ben extended his hand and grabbed Gwen's and gave it a little squeeze to which she smiled. At precisely 10:04 AM the group walked to the edge of the ramp and looked at the deep fall below. Gwen gulped and looked nervously at her cousin

"You'll be fine!" he yelled trying to get his voice heard over the loud wind that was hollowing in their ears. Gwen nodded nervously as she and her instructor leaned forward and fell into the sky…

"Telihoo…" he muttered nervously as his guide did the same with him and before he knew it he was free falling soon to be joined by his grandfather and Michael…

"This feels so good…" said Ben, enjoying the wind blow in his face. After a few seconds he caught up with his cousin who had her eyes closed tightly in fear

"Is it over yet?" she asked

"Naw it's just beginning. Come on Gwen open your eyes. You're missing a great view…"

Gwen whimpered slightly in fear and gradually opened her eyes only to witness a beautiful sight. Before here was a wide landscape of desert and mountain terrain and she could see the blueness of the dead sea in the distances. Above her was nothing else than a big blue and clear sky…

"Wow…" she whispered

Ben chuckled at his cousin's reaction but his laugh was interrupted by a big tug that he felt which pulled him upwards slightly as his parachute opened. Soon the other parachutes followed and the gang was slowly drifting earthward as the ground grew nearer and bigger. When it was almost time to land they braced for impact and hit the ground was a thud as their shoots collapsed on their heads…

"That was absolutely awesome!" yelled Ben, pumped with adrenaline and exhilaration

Unlike her cousin Gwen was terrified

"I don't want to go through that again! I think I have a fear of heights…"

"I thought you liked it. You seemed to enjoy the view…" said Ben as he unbuckled his harness

"I did but I still found the falling part scary especially the free fall part…" said Gwen who looked slightly queasy

"The main thing is that you're fine Gwen. We all are" he reassured her and she smiled weakly at him.

Several hours later…

Michael and the Tennysons pulled up outside a hotel in Jerusalem and were about to say goodbye

"It's been a pleasure Michael" said Max as he shook his hand

"The pleasure's all mine" said the man as he smiled

"So long kids"

"Goodbye Michael. Thanks for everything. We really enjoyed the trip" said Gwen

"Yeah it was fun" said Ben as Michael smiled at him as he gave Ben a fist bump and patted Gwen on the head. Before they parted he walked towards Max and whispered something in his ear

"I know it's not my place to say so forgive me for budding in but I think you might want to go easy on them regarding what happened earlier. I know they're cousins but they would make a great couple…"

Max simply sighed and said

"I know. Thank you Michael" he shook his hand again as the family walked into the hotel to spend the next few hours in the lobby until it was time to fly home…

To be continued…

Thus concludes the history lesson. (At least for now. There might be a little more later). I hope you're enjoying it so far. Don't forget to review…


	13. Chapter 13 secrets

Chapter 13 secrets

The Tennysons sat at the lobby of a local hotel as Mas spoke up

"Alright. I'm waiting to hear an explanation for why you two kissed earlier…" he said with his arms crossed

The two cousins exchanged nervous looks before Gwen spoke

"Well the thing is, Ben and I have grown a little… attached. During this trip we realized we really care about each other. To be more specific we love each other. As more than just cousins. The reason I kissed him like that earlier was to express my emotions but also to thank him for saving my life…" she explained

"And I'm glad that you did by the way" said their grandfather

"In regards to your new found relationship, you do realize that society frowns upon cousin coupling right?"

"Yes we do" said Gwen as Ben nodded

"While I can see you as a nice couple it's not my place to decide on whether to allow or forbid it but I want to make sure you kids are aware of the possible consequences of this relationship if it continues…"

"We know Grandpa" admitted Gwen

"We're willing to take that chance…" said Ben as he grabbed Gwen's hand

"Well… I guess you guys have my approval…" said the man

"Thanks grandpa!" said the kids with joy as they hugged him tightly.

The flight back to America was a long and tiring one. The gang spent most of their time sleeping and eating. When they landed they were greeted by Ben and Gwen's parents

"Ben/Gwen!" they cried happily as the mothers got down on their knees to hug their children and nephews/nieces as the fathers did the same thing afterwards

"How was your trip?" asked Lily

"It was great. We learned a lot of interesting stuff" replied her daughter

"Did you and Ben get along?" asked his mother Sandra

"Yeah we got along. Actually we more than got along…" said Gwen nervously

"What do you mean?" asked Frank

Ben decided now would be a good time to tell them the truth

"We fell in love with each other" he said. This statement made the group fall silent

"You, who, the, what now?" asked Carl

"We fell in love. We've grown kind of closer. During this trip and the ones that came before it. And this is not a crush I assure you. We are both sure of it…" said Ben

"Well there's a surprise…" said Frank as he sighed and scratched the back of his head and looked at his daughter

"What do you think we should do?" he asked

"Well I can definitely see them as a couple. As long as they're aware of the dangers and remain careful I don't see a problem. I think they would make a nice couple…" said Carl

"I agree" said Sandra

"Me too" replied Lily

"I agree too but I think there should be some safety restrictions. Like whenever they come over to each other's house they either hang out in the living room or in each other's room but with the door open…" said Frank

"Agreed" said Lily

"I think I could work with that…" said Carl

"Me too" said Sandra

"Well alright then. It's decided. We accept your relationship as long as you kids remain careful…" said Frank as the two kids smiled with joy as they ran to hug their parents

"Thanks Mom and Dad…" they said happily as their parents returned the hug. The kids now had a green light for their relationship despite the limitations… and they couldn't be happier about it…

To be continued…

Well I hope you like it so far… please review…

Thank you… 


	14. Chapter 14 Valentine's Day

Chapter 14 Valentine's Day

It has been several months since that fateful summer in which Ben and Gwen realized their feelings for each other. Ever since they got their family's approval of their relationship the two cousins have gotten all the more closer; spending their time together going to play in the park, the pool and even doing homework together. After several years of being an average student Ben finally began to excel in school thanks to his cousin's help and he couldn't be enjoying it more. He never knew being an honor student could make a person so proud.

We rejoin our two heroes on Valentine's Day which by an amazing coincidence happens to be the two cousin's birthday. Back when they were ten, sharing the same birthday used to be one of the reasons they used to bicker but after some time together during that summer they got used to each other and sharing the same birth date. The two cousins decided to meet at a tea shop in the shopping district downtown. We rejoin our lovebirds while Gwen is getting ready in her room. She was combing her hair in front of a mirror while wearing a nice white dress when someone knocked her door

"Yes?"

"Hey sweetie. Happy birthday" her mother came in and kissed her on the head

"Thanks Mom" said the now fourteen year old girl as she put down her hair brush

"Ready for another date with Ben?" she teased

"Mom!" moaned the girl as her face turned a beat shade of red. Even though she and Ben have been a couple for quite some time now she couldn't help but blush whenever someone would refer to him as her boyfriend.

As a response all her mother did was chuckle

"I'm just kidding hon. You kids have yourselves a great time" she said and kissed her on the cheek and walked out.

After a few more minutes Gwen placed a fake white flower in her hair and with that she thought she was ready to go. She reached for her desk and picked up the gift she got for Ben and headed for the bus stop…

Time passes…

Gwen got off the bus at the right bus stop and looked around her. The shops were all decorated with pink and white ornaments. Some of them had paper hearts hanging over the windows. Feeling a little nervous Gwen walked into the tea shop and sat down. Moments later, Ben showed up wearing a black shirt and blue jeans

"Hey Gwenny" he said as he kissed her

"Hi Ben"

"Happy Valentine's Day" he said happily as she returned the greeting

"How've you been?" the boy asked

"I've been okay. Congratulations on becoming an honor student"

"Thanks. I can't believe that happened. I used to be such a lousy student. I owe it all to you" he said as Gwen blushed at the compliment

"Thanks but it wasn't all me it was also you…" she said softly

"Yeah I guess…" said Ben as the two fell into silence. In an attempt to break the ice Gwen reached for the bag she put on the floor and handed it to her cousin

"This is for you…" she said as she handed him a bag with a square wrapped object in it while blushing hard. She was still new to this whole couple thing; especially now that the whole world has to see it. Not that she's ashamed of Ben or anything she just feels a little awkward dating her cousin in public with everyone watching. But she's willing to go through the discomfort so she could be with him. In due time she knows she'll get used to it just like he already has…

"Why thank you Gwen…" he said and leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek. He then reached for a bag of his own and gave it to her

"Happy Valentine's day Cuz…" he said happily with a warm smile as Gwen thanked as she reached for the bag. Ben decided to let Gwen open her present first. The present appeared to be a small plastic box. At first she thought it was an engagement ring but when she opened it she found a pair of earrings in it. They were silver and a had a small blue gem on each of them

"Why Ben this is a beautiful… thank you…" she said happily as they kissed over the table. Once parted she tried them on and looked at her reflection on the napkin holder

"Wow these are nice. Where did you get the money to be these things?" she inquired

"Seven years' worth of allowance" answered her cousin as Gwen smiled warmly at him

"They're beautiful Ben. Thank you"

"Anytime" smiled the boy as they kissed again over the table while enjoying every moment of it. After they parted they savored the moment for a few more seconds until Ben turned to open his own present. He ripped the wrapping paper off the square object which turned out to be the new game of summo slammers. Ben's favorite video game

"Awesome! Thanks Gwen" he said happily as he hugged her tightly

"Anytime… 'Benny...'" she teased as the two kids burst into laughter.

The kids spend the rest of their time drinking soda while having a nice chat and were having a grand time. Before long the date was over and each of them had to go home

"Thanks again for the earrings Ben. They're wonderful" she said happily as she stood in front of him

"My pleasure Gwen. I'm glad you like them. Thanks for the video game. We can play it together if you want…"

"I'd like that…" admitted the girl as she smiled and her boyfriend smiled too. He leaned in for a quick kiss before they parted

"See you around…" he said

"Yeah I'll see you" said Gwen feeling a little sad that the date was over. As a last minute addition to the date she kissed him on the cheek

"I had a good time" she said

"Me too" replied the boy as they both went their separate ways. There are many ways to win a girl's heart. One of them is being a good friend…

Well looks like the romance is finally coming back. How do you like it? Don't forget to leave reviews…

Thank you…


	15. Chapter 15 hurt and comfort

Chapter 15 hurt and comfort

Gwen was standing beside her locker when Billy the school bully came by

"Hey Gwen. Wanna go for a date?" he teased

Unlike most of her peers Gwen didn't think much of Billy and didn't give him as much as credit as her peers did. All she did was respond calmly but coldly

"No thank you Billy" she said as she closed her locker and walked away

"That's right I forgot. You're dating your cousin aren't you?"

Gwen froze in her tracks as she heard these words and she knew Billy was smirking at her reaction

"What are you talking about? I'm not dating my cousin" she lied, having not gotten used to dating him yet

"Yes you are. I saw you yesterday at the tea shop. How does it feel to date your family? Pretty gross I bet" he teased as he leaned on one of the lockers. Gwen simply turned around and walked away

"Jerk…" she muttered. It wasn't long before she walked into a crowd and they all fell silent when she passed by

"Hey look! It's incest girl" teased a girl with long blonde hair as she pointed at her as everyone laughed

"Hey Gwen! Did you and your cousin 'do it yet'?" teased another boy.

With a face as red as a rose Gwen turned around and walked away choking her anger. In the distance she could her them laughing and calling her 'incest girl'.

In history class things took a turn for the worst for her. When one of her classmates raised her hand to speak she said

"I didn't want to actually answer the question I just wanted to call Gwen 'incest girl'… because she's dating her cousin!" she yelled the last part and everyone laughed. Gwen's face was so red it matched the color of her hair. She lowered her head sadly as the teacher tried to calm everyone down. When she did she sent to offender to the principal's office and came to Gwen's aide

"Now I know that dating a cousin is a little socially unacceptable but many historical figures did the same thing. Like Charles Dickens and Albert Einstein. His second wife was his cousin. While genetically unadvised, while together cousin couples can still find happiness together. Despite what society thinks, it's kinda worth it" she smiled at the sad redhead who smiled weakly in return

"Thanks Mrs. Hovers" said the girl softly

"You're welcome dear. Don't let them get to you. I'm sure you and Ben will be fine" she said as Gwen smiled at her sadly again.

When the bell rang at the end of the day Gwen was one of the first ones to leave the building as she walked home. Only then did she let her tears flow freely…

_"Why don't they understand? Ben's my best friend and I love him. It's all his fault! If he hadn't agreed to be my boyfriend we wouldn't be in this problem!..."_ thought the girl as anger and irrational thinking began to take over. She was so focused in her thoughts she didn't see the boy walking towards her

"Hey Gwen. How was your day at the schoo…" the boy stopped talking in mid-sentence when he saw she was crying

"Gwen, are you okay? What's wrong? Why are you crying?" asked the boy with concern as he placed his hands on her shoulders

"This is all your fault!" she cried

"What?" asked the boy confusedly

"If you haven't started dating me then the whole town wouldn't know about it and I wouldn't be picked on at school for it. Do you know how painful it is to be called 'incest girl'?"

Being shocked by Gwen's reaction Ben was caught off guard

"Gwen I'm sorry you don't feel comfortable about this yet. If you want we can slow things down a bit…"

"No! I don't want to slow things down! I don't want to date you anymore!" yelled the girl and stormed off

Being shocked and hurt Ben simply stood there as he let what happened sink in

_"She broke up with me…"_ he thought in disbelief as he lowered his head in sadness as he was overwhelmed by sadness and depression. He continued to walk home sadly but with a very different mood that he was in moments ago… he opened the door to his house and walked straight into his room without saying a word to his parents. He sat on his bed and sighed deeply as he reached for a photo on his nightstand. In it were he and Gwen snuggling under a Christmas tree while wearing Santa Clause hats. Ben gazed at it sadly as it became blurred by his tears

_"What did I do wrong? How could I have lost her like that?..."_ he thought in despair trying to hold back the tears

Several blocks away Gwen was lying on her bed crying softly. It wasn't long before she came to her senses and she was overwhelmed with guilt

_"How could I have been so stupid and selfish? It's not Ben's fault. He was just being a good friend and boyfriend to me like he always was. I was the one who first showed my affection a few months ago when we were at the Dead Sea. We're in this together and I love as him as much as he loves me. I'll just have to get used to dating him… I just hope he still wants my companionship…" _she sighed sadly as she reached for her phone. It's been several hours since the fight and she hoped he'd be willing to talk. She dialed his number and waited for him to pick up. In Ben's room he heard his phone ring and looked at the screen, when he saw Gwen's name on it he simply sighed and put it back down. Realizing he wasn't gonna answer, Gwen decided to walk down to his house and try to make peace with him. A few minutes later she knocked on his front door and was greeted by his mother

"Hey Aunt Sandra. Is Ben home?"

"He is but I think he wants to be alone right now. Is it important?"

"Very. Can I please go up and talk to him?"

Sandra hesitated for a moment but eventually decided it was for the best

"Okay. He's in his room" she said and stepped aside and let her in. Gwen walked up the stairs and knocked gently on Ben's door. When she heard no answer she knocked again just to be sure. When she wasn't answered again she slowly and gently opened the door. She found Ben lying asleep on his bed with a few empty smoothie mugs at the foot of his bed. She knew he usually drank his smoothies at the parlor and only one or two at a time. When he would drink more excessively and bring them home she knew it was assign of depression. A quick count revealed six smoothie cups on the floor next to his bed. She bit her lip and felt her heart ache with guilt and pity. She sat down gently on his bed and stroked his cheek gently. After a little while Ben's eyes flickered and he opened them to see his dear cousin looking down at him smiling sweetly

"Gwen?..." he asked incoherently

"Yeah Benny it's me" she said gently as he sat up

"What are you doing here?" he asked and hiccupped from drinking all those smoothies

"I came to say how sorry I am for hurting you the way I did earlier. I don't know what came over me. I was so upset about being picked on for dating you I wasn't thinking straight. I don't think it's your fault Ben. If anything it's both our faults because we're in this together. I love you with all my heart Ben and I promise you I won't hurt you like this ever again…" Gwen said sadly as Ben's lips formed into a small smile

"I also want you to know that I'm not feeling uncomfortable anymore when it comes to dating you and being seen doing it in public… would you give me another chance?" she asked as Ben's smile widened with joy. He simply hugged her tightly as she buried her head in his shoulder

"Of curse Gwen… of course… I love you very much and I won't let anything separate us…" he said as Gwen sighed with joy as he rocked her in his arms. They separated from the hug and peered into each other's eyes. Their faces inched closer and closer to each other until they met into a blissful contact. Kissing each other now after that fight felt like falling in love with each other all over again and like they were kissing for the first time again. They wanted to savor every bit and moment of it. Ben put his arms around Gwen's neck as she did the same with his as the kiss deepened. When they had to breathe their lips separated but they remained only centimeters away from each other and they leaned their heads on each other

"I love you…"whispered Ben

"I love _you…_" replied his cousin and they both smiled at each other. They kissed once more and held each other in their as the night went on…

To be continued…

Well I hope you like it. Reviews are most welcome…

Peace out… 


	16. Chapter 16 anniversary

Chapter 16 anniversary

It's been a year since Ben and Gwen found their love for each other and became a couple. To celebrate the occasion Ben decided to take his girlfriend to the park which was her favorite place in town. The first part of the plan was to leave a letter for her in the mailbox inviting her on a date. In it he will ask her to meet him at the park at six o'clock that evening.

Ben made his way to his cousin's house and slipped the letter into the mail slot on the door and walked back home. Later that day he went to a local flower shop to buy a banquet of roses for someone very special to him. He paid for the flowers and headed for the park. When he arrived he sat on the grass next to the pond and waited for Gwen. After a few minutes she showed up wearing a blue dress and sat down beside him and kissed him briefly

"Hey big boy. How you doin'?" she asked

"I'm fine. What's up with you?"

"Oh you know, enjoying the summer vacation. A little rest here a little rest there…"

Ben smiled at her answer

"You're becoming as lazy as I am…" he teased as Gwen huffed and pushed him playfully and they both laughed

"So what are we doing at the park?" she asked

"Well I know it's your favorite place in town so I thought it would be a good place to celebrate"

"Celebrate what?"

"Our anniversary. We became a couple exactly one year ago" he said and smiled at her

After a few seconds Gwen's eyes widened in realization

"That's right, we did. You remembered! That's so sweet of you…" she leaned forwards and kissed him on the cheek. Ben reached for his side and showed her the banquet of yellow roses. Her favorite flower

"I got these for you for the occasion…"

Gwen sniffed the flowers and smiled at him

"They're beautiful… thank you Ben" she beamed and kissed him again only this time it was on the lips. Ben kissed her back passionately until they broke apart and laid on the grass together as the sun was starting to set. The weather was warm, there was a slight breeze and the ducks in the pond were quacking as they swam around in it. Before long the two cousins fell asleep in each other's arms as the afternoon turned into evening and the evening turned into night…

This was one was kinda short. Hope you like it though.

Peace out


	17. Chapter 17 school dance

Chapter 17 school dance

Ben reached for his phone and dialed his cousin's number. After a few rings she answered

"Hey cuz what's up?' the boy asked while lying on his bed

"Oh hey Ben. How are you?"

"I've been alright. What are you up to?"

"Not much. Just working on some homework"

"Nice. Lieten I wanted to ask you a question" said Ben and paused for a moment before he continued

"The school dance is coming up and I was wondering if you'd want to be my date"

Gwen smiled at his proposal

"I'd love to be your date Ben" she said happily

"Great. So I'll pick you up on Friday at seven"

"Okay I'll see you then" said Gwen and hung up. Knowing she would go to the dance with Ben made concentrating on her homework much harder now. For a moment she was mad at him for distracting her. But it went away almost immediately knowing he didn't mean it and she can't stay mad to him for long…

The next few days went by quickly. Before anyone knew it, it was Friday night and Ben was getting ready to pick up his cousin. He checked himself out in the mirror. He was wearing black jeans and a black tee shirt. He seemed to look pretty handsome. He reached for his cologne bottle and used some of it. Once ready he grabbed his car keys and walked out the door. Moments later he rang the doorbell at Gwen's house. Moments later it swung open revealing his cousin wearing a light blue dress with a yellow rose in her hair. As soon as he saw her his face turned red

"You look beautiful" he said as she smiled

"Thanks. You look pretty good yourself" she said and he smiled. He reached out his hand and she held onto it as they walked towards his car. Once inside, Ben started the engine and drove off to the school. After a few minutes they were at the school parking lot and before they knew it they were standing at the entrance to the dance

"Ready to start dancing?" asked Ben

"Ready when you are" said his cousin as she looked at Ben who looked kind of nervous. She smiled at his nervousness as they entered the dance and held each other in their arms as they danced. After a few minutes Ben spoke

"I'm glad I was transferred to your school last year. Now we get to see each other more often"

"Yeah…" said Gwen as a tall blond girl approached them

"Hey incest girl…" she mocked but Gwen ignored her

"Is this your incest boyfriend/cousin?" she asked but Gwen continued to ignore her

"I like your dress. Where did you get it? In the dumpster?"

By now Ben thought she crossed the line so he decided to speak up

"Hey Lizzy, you want to shut up?"

"Oooh… looks like I touched a nerve here…"

Ben rolled his eyes in annoyance as he turned his back to the girl as he continued to dance with Gwen

_"Bitch…"_ he muttered as Gwen giggled at his reaction to her teasing. Unfortunately Lizzy heard it too

"Hey I'm not the bitch here. Your cousin is. How does it feel Ben? To date a girl who's part of your family?"

Ben decided to beat her at her own game

"Given the fact that she's the most beautiful girl I know it's pretty good"

"Beautiful? Ha! You don't what beautiful is Benjamin Tennyson. Why don't you date me instead and ditch this stupid whore?" as soon as she said this the three teenagers and the ones near them froze in silence

"What did you call me?" Gwen asked sharply as her magic abilities kicked in and her eyes turned blue

"Hey no fair! You can't use our magic on me!"

"Oh and I suppose calling me a whore is fair…" said Gwen sarcastically

"That's because you are a whore because you're dating your cousin!" yelled Lizzy and pushed Gwen and she pushed her back. After a few seconds the two girls began a physical fight which didn't last long because Ben broke them up

"Enough!" yelled Ben as he separated the two girls

"Lizzy, Get lost; Gwen let's go someplace else…" said the boy as the trio split. After a few steps Gwen gasped in shock

"My dress!" she yelled in shock as Ben looked at her. To his surprise the collar of Gwen's dress was overly starched from the fight with Lizzy revealing the bottom part of her neck

"I spent my whole allowance on this dress!" moaned Gwen as she started to cry softly. Ben wrapped his arms around her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her

"It's okay Gwen… if you want I can get you a new one for your birthday…" he reassured her

"So what? I can't continue the dance with this dress and I can't fix it because my spell book is at home…"

"So why don't we go home and get it fixed or simply put on a new one?" suggested Ben

"Forget Ben. I don't want to be here anymore…"

"Oh come on Gwen you don't mean that…"

"Yes I do. Take me home…" said Gwen as Ben gave her a long look

"Alright. Just give me a minute" said Ben as he walked off to find Lizzy after he a few seconds he saw her standing against a wall sipping a drink

"Listen carefully…" he warned her

"Next time you call me cousin a whore or attack her or insult her in any way both of us will use our super powers on you and that's a promise…" he said sternly and took the drink from her hand and poured it on her head and walked away. Little did he know that Gwen saw him get revenge for her

"That was real sweet of you to get back at her for me Ben…" she said after he caught up with her

"No problem Gwen" he said as they left the school gym and headed for Ben's car. Once inside they sat in silence before Ben spoke

"So how do you want to spend the rest of the evening?"

"Why don't we just go over to my place and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate while watching a movie? Just like old times…" suggested Gwen as Ben smiled and gave her a kiss

"I'd love to…" he said and ignited the engine of his car and drove off. On the way to Gwen's house she spoke up

"Hey Ben?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks for sticking up for me…" she said warmly as she rested her head on his shoulder as they headed for Gwen's house to enjoy a nice pleasant evening…

To be continued…

Well that's a wrap on this chapter. I hope you like it. Reviews are most welcome…


	18. Chapter 18 graduation

Chapter 18 graduation

It seems only yesterday that Ben and Gwen became a couple. By now it's been several years. Today is the day the two teenagers finish high school and head off to a new beginning. We rejoin our heroes as they prepare for the graduation ceremony. Ben was putting on a nice suit while Gwen was wearing a white dress. Ironically the two cousins would end up looking like a bride and a groom on their graduation day and it wasn't even intentional.

Gwen was putting on perfume as she combed her hair in front of the mirror

"Well… this is it. The end of high school…" she said to herself as she heard a knock on her bedroom door

"Yes?"

"Ready to graduate high school sweetie?" Lily asked as she peaked into the room

"I think so but I'm a little sad though. I'm gonna miss my friends and everything…"

"You can always keep in touch with them" said her mother as she entered and sat down on her daughter's bed

"I know. Still I'm a little scared. Heading into the unknown…" said Gwen as she lowered her head. Her mother placed her hand on her shoulder for support

"You'll be fine Gwen. Everyone makes it okay. With good grades and abilities like yours you can do anything you want and your father and I are very proud of you for that…"

Gwen smiled at her mother and brought her in for a hug

"Thanks Mom…"

"You're welcome dear"

After a few moments her mother spoke again

"Well we better go. We don't want to be late for the ceremony…" and with that they separated from the hug and headed downstairs

In Ben's house things were similar only Ben was a little more depressed. He sat in his room and stared blankly at his reflection in the mirror. He was so lost in his thoughts he didn't hear the knock on his door and he didn't hear it open

"Ben?"

He didn't answer

"Ben?" the man asked again and put his hand on his son's shoulder

Finally Ben snapped out of his trance

"Oh hey dad"

"Are you alright?"

Ben sighed deeply as he returned his gaze to the mirror

"I just can't believe it's over. I spent half of my education as a lousy student and thanks to Gwen I'm an honor student now… I enjoyed studying with her but those days are gone… poof…" he waved his hand lightly as he spoke the last word

"You and Gwen will still see each other. You two are inseparable and who knows? You too might learn the same thing in college…"

"Yeah…"

"Come on, cheer up son it's a happy day…" sad Carl as he patted his son on the shoulder and then on the cheek and walked out. This talk with his dad made Ben feel slightly better. He sighed deeply and finished preparing for the ceremony.

An hour later…

"Hey Ben"

"Hey Gwen" said the boy as he brought his cousin in for a hug

"Happy graduation Ben" his cousin beamed at him

"You too 'dear'…" he teased as she blushed and huffed and pushed playfully as they sat down in the row of chairs. Up front were a stage and a podium with a table full of diplomas. Before long the principle came up to give his speech

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, fellow students and parents…" he began as the crowd listened

"It seems only yesterday you people came through our doors fresh out of elementary school. Some of you joined us some time afterwards. And now six years have come and gone and here you are about to head out on a new beginning and start your lives. As your principle I would like to above all congratulate you for your achievements and you successfully finishing high school. Some of you may study art, some of you may study medicine and some of you may study physics. Whichever way you choose I'm sure it will send you far and wish you the best of luck on your journeys. Do not be sad about leaving this high school behind for it is not over. A wise man has said 'an end is merely the start of something new'. On behalf of Bellewood high school I wish to congratulate every single one of you and wish you good luck on your futures…" said the principle as the crowd applauded

"Now, I will call your names and when I do please come up and receive your diploma…" said the man as he tended to a list of people on the podium

"Marty Mcfly"

"George Mcfly"

"Emmet Lathrop Brown"

"Jenifer Jane parker"

"Loraine Banes"

"Peter Parker"

"Clark Kent"

"Perry White"

"Jack Dawson"

"Rose Dawson"

"Stanley Yelnats the IV"

"Fred smith"

"Homer Hickam"

"Shin Wolf"

Before long the crowd of graduates grew until it was Ben and Gwen's turn

"Benjamin Kirby Tennyson" said the man. Once he heard his name Ben could feel his heart race. He rose slowly from his chair and walked up the podium and received his diploma and shook the principle's hand as he congratulated him. Once done Ben walked off the stage and returned to his seat to be embraced by his parents

"We're so proud of you of Ben…" said the parents as they hugged him

"Thanks guys" he said as he sat down beside his cousin

"I'm proud of you Ben. You've come a long way…" she said with tears of joy in her eyes

"Thanks cuz" said Ben as he embraced his girlfriend in a hug

"Gwendolyn Carry Tennyson" said the principle as Gwen got from her seat and proudly received her high school diploma and shook the principle's hand. Once she returned to her seat she went through the same routine with her own parents and sat down as Ben wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed her hair. Gwen could feel her cheeks turn red and it wasn't from the kiss

"To conclude the ceremony I'd like the crowd to stand up for the singing of the national anthem"

Moments later the two families were in the parking lot

"We did it! We finished high school" said Gwen as Ben picked her up and swung her around as he embraced her

"We sure did…" said the boy who's no longer a boy but a young man as he held her in his arms…

To be continued…

Well I hope you like it and I hope you noticed the movie references with the different names.

I would also like to dedicate this chapter to Michael J Fox the man who played the role of Marty Mcfly and to the rest of cast of the back to the future films. I would also like to wish Mr. Fox all the health in the world…


	19. Chapter 19 college

Chapter 19 college

Ben sat in front of his computer typing away on the internet. It wasn't long after he graduated from high school that Ben decided to become a doctor. Due the fact that his grades were so high on the last few years he felt confident enough to apply for Stanford University. He sat in his chair typing his background and scanning his last report cards and uploading them to the email he was about to send. When he was done he went over the letter and double checked he uploaded everything he needed. Once he was sure everything was ready he sent the letter and sat back on his chair and stretched. He yawned loudly as he leaned against the back rest. He then reached for his phone and dialed his cousin's number

"Hello?"

"Hey cuz what's up?" said the boy

"Oh hey Ben. What's up?"

"Oh not much. Just hanging around, sitting in my room… applying for studies in Stanford…" he said matter of factly

Gwen laughed at the way he said it

"That's great Ben! I'm so proud of you… Stanford is one of the best in the world"

"Yeah I know. So is Harvard"

"And the Hebrew University" added his cousin

"The what?" asked Ben cocking an eyebrow

"The Hebrew University. It's also one of the best in the world. It's in Jerusalem. Maybe we could visit it next we go to Israel"

"Yeah, maybe on our honeymoon…"

"Don't you think we're a little young for that?" asked Gwen

"Hey I'm just saying" said Ben as he shrugged. After a moment's silence Ben spoke

"So what have you been up to?"

"Oh you know the same as you…"

"You applied for Stanford?" said Ben in surprise as he straightened up in his chair

"Mhm… as a nurse"

"That's great Gwen! I'm so happy for you. Who knows maybe we'll be accepted and we could study on the same campus"

"I'd like that" said Gwen and smiled

"Yeah me too"

"Hey what do you say we go to Mr. Smoothie's to celebrate? It's my treat" he added and Gwen smiled and chuckled on the other end of the line

"You're always looking for excuses to go to Mr. Smoothie's…" she teased

"What can I say? I'm crazy about them…"

Both kids laughed

"Okay, sure why not. Pick me up in an hour"

"Okay you got it" said Ben between chuckles

An hour later…

Ben pulled up by Gwen's house to see her standing by the door. He smiled at her as she smiled back as she made her way to the side of the car. She opened the side passenger door and slipped in

"Hey Ben" she said as she sat down

"Hey Honey" he said and kissed her briefly

"Ready to go?"

"Ready when you are 'dear'" she teased and with that they were off

"So when are they supposed to get back to you?" asked Gwen

"In two weeks. You?"

"Same here" said Gwen

"I can't believe we might be going to Stanford" she added

"And I can't believe I didn't drink a smoothie since yesterday but here we are…"

Gwen laughed at his joke

"Why do you like smoothies so much?"

"It's a long term relationship"

Gwen laughed again

"Okay but seriously now. What's with you and smoothies?" she asked as Ben parked the car

"I don't know. I just like them. They're very tasty"

"And very fattening…"

"That's where my fast metabolism comes in"

"Your metabolism isn't gonna stay fast forever you know…"

"Yeah but I might as well enjoy it while I can"

"That's true…" said Gwen as they reached the counter

"Hi I'd like two fruit smoothies please…" said as Ben as he lifted two fingers. When he received his order he put a two dollar bill on the counter and received his change.

The two cousins sat outside the parlor under an umbrella and drank their smoothies. After a long sip Ben sighed

"I love this stuff"

"So I noticed…"

"So did you find a job yet?" asked Gwen

"Not yet I'm still looking. What about you?"

"I found a job as a Liberian at the local library"

"That's nice. Good for you"

"To be honest, it's kind of boring. Most of the time I just sit there with a book or with my phone…"

"Hey at least you're making money for it"

"Yeah but I just wish I could be doing something more sophisticated" said Gwen

"You will when you become a nurse"

"Yeah… that reminds me. Do you know yet what kind of doctor you would like to become?..."

"Probably a family doc…"

The two cousins spent the next twenty minutes talking at the parlor. When it was time to go home, they got into Ben's car and drove off. When they arrived at Gwen's house the car stopped

"See you around Gwen"

"See ya. Let me know when you get an answer"

"I will. You do the same" Ben said as they kissed once more and Gwen walked out of his car…

Two weeks later…

"I'm home!" yelled Ben as he walked through the door. Last week he found a job as a store clerk and he just finished his shift

"Hey Ben" his mother said as he walked into the kitchen

"Hi Mom…" he said and sat down

"You have some mail here" his mother said and handed him a medium sized envelope. When he flipped it over his eyes brightened

"It's from Stanford!" he yelled with joy as he sliced it open and took the letter out

"Dear Mr. Tennyson,

We are glad to inform you that you have accepted to the study of medicine in the University of Stanford Bellwood Illinois. The first semester begins on October 26th next year and the fee is 70,000$ a year. We request that you purchase the following books for your studies next fall:

Facts of the human body

Biology today

Genetics level one

Genetics level two

The blood stream

Bone facts

Our campus is on 53rd St Bellwood Illinois USA. On behalf of Stanford universities I welcome you to our system of education.

Vice principle Helen Smith"

Ben couldn't believe his eyes. He stared at the letter in shock

"I'm in" he said in a hollow voice to his mother

"I'm in" he repeated

"I'm in!" he yelled overcome with joy as he got from his seat

"I did it! I got into Stanford! I got into Stanford!" he yelled as he hugged his mother

"I'm so proud of you Ben" she said

"Thanks Mom…" he said. After he released her he took out his phone and dialed his cousin's number

"Hello?"

"Gwen I'm in" said Ben who was almost unable to contain his excitement

"What?" she asked confusedly

"I did it! I got accepted into Stanford!" he said with joy as Gwen's eyes and voice lit up with joy on the other end of the line

"That's great Ben I'm so happy for you. Where is your campus?"

"Here in Bellwood"

"Well it looks like you already have a schoolmate. Because I'm going too"

"You got accepted?" asked Ben in disbelief

"I sure did"

"That's wonderful Gwen! Now we're both in Stanford…"

"I can't wait to start studying" said Gwen

"Yeah me too. Believe it or not"

"I believe it…" said Gwen as they both laughed

"You know I think we should celebrate again" said Gwen

"Mr. Smoothie's?" guessed Ben

"You got it"

"I'm in" said the brunette man and agreed to meet her at the parlor in twenty minutes…

During the next year Ben and Gwen waited in agonizing anticipation for their studies to start. During that year they got together often and hung out doing a bunch of activities such eating out, going to see movies and played bowling together. It wasn't long until summer came again and before long; fall. The date was October 26 and it was eight in the morning. Reception was at ten. The two cousins sat in front of the mirror each in their own rooms and were getting ready for the big day. Ben was wearing his blue jeans and a black tea shirt with a green jacket on it. He combed his hair as he waited for the time to come.

In her own room Gwen was putting own a black skirt and a pink sweater over a white shirt. She combed her hair and put on some perfume for the occasion. When she was all set to go she went downstairs…

Two hours later…

The two cousins met up at the entrance gate to the college campus

"Hey Gwen"

"Hey Ben"

"Ready to start a new life?" asked the red haired girl

"Not really…" said Ben nervously

"Come on Ben relax. You'll be fine" she said and pecked him on the cheek as she walked through the gate with her parents as Ben followed with his own. They reached an auditorium with rows of chairs on looking a stage down below. The two families sat beside each other with Ben and Gwen sitting together. When everyone was in and seated a tall man of about fifty walked onto the stage. He was wearing glasses and had a partially bald head with gray hair. He stood in front of the podium and spoke into the microphone

"Good morning fellow parents and newcomers. My name is David Cohen I'm the dean of this university and I'm here to welcome to the Bellwood's Stanford University. During your studies you will receive state of the art equipment and lab conditions and you will have teachers having a world renowned name and position. Right by the stage is the school secretary; she will direct every one of you to your designated area where you will study. On behalf of Stanford universities I welcome you to our doors and wish you all a very enjoyable and fruitful education. Thank you..." he said and the crowd applauded as he got off the stage. Before long a long line formed in front of the school secretary which grew smaller as each person received his instructions

Finally it was Ben and Gwen's turn

"Name?" asked the secretary

"Benjamin Kirby Tennyson"

"Subject of degree?"

"Medicine"

"Building C floor 2 class number 1" said the lady as Ben stepped aside but remained there to see where Gwen would be placed

"Next"

"Gwendolyn Cary Tennyson"

"Subject of degree?"

"Nursing"

"Building C floor 2 class number 2" said the lady as Gwen stepped aside

"Well what do you know? We're going to be next door now" said Gwen

"How about that?" said Ben as he smiled at her. The parents walked them all the way to their class doors where they parted. Each parent hugged their own child and said how proud they were of them and did the same thing with their niece and nephew. Before long it was time to say goodbye and eventually they parted. Now Ben and Gwen stood in front of each other and looked deep into each other's eyes

"Well this is it…" said Gwen

"Yeah" said her boyfriend as they stood in silence

"You're ready for this?" he asked

"Not really but I'll manage"

"I'm sure you will"

They smiled at his remark

"Well I'll see you after class…" said Ben

"Yeah…" replied his cousin as they leaned in for a kiss

"Good luck" said Ben

"You too" said the girl and they each went into their own class. During the next hour and a half Ben was introduced to his teacher and classmates and started learning the importance and responsibility of being a doctor while Gwen was going through the same only she was learning of the responsibilities of being a nurse. They knew they are goona enjoy their time here and they knew that they're in good hands…

To be continued….

Well that was a long one… sorry it was so long, I wanted to set a personal record. Did you like it? Did you dislike it? Did you like it even more?

Please tell me what you think in your reviews on your way out…

Thank you…


	20. Chapter 20 proposal

Chapter 20 proposal

It's been five years since the two cousins applied for college. Gwen has already finished her studies and is working as a nurse in Bellwood hospital. As for Ben he was still studying to be a doctor but is enjoying every bit of it. We rejoin our two lovebirds on Christmas Eve. The two families agreed to meet at Ben's house and sleep there for the holiday.

Ben was setting the table in the dining room when the doorbell rang. He headed for the door and opened it

"Hey Ben!" said his uncle as they went in for a hug

"Hey Uncle Frank"

"Good to see you Ben" said a familiar voice

"Hi Aunt Lily" said the man as he hugged his aunt. Finally his eyes rested on a red headed girl his age dressed in a light blue dress with a flower on her collar.

"Hey Gwen" he said tenderly as he leaned in for a kiss

"How've you been?" he asked

"Great. What's up with you?"

"Oh you know, college, setting the table… Christmas…" he said matter of factly as Gwen laughed. Moments later the group sat by the table and enjoyed a delicious meal consisting of chicken soup, turkey, rice, mashed potatoes and a pumpkin pie for desert. Once the meal was over the parents went upstairs leaving the two young adults on their own. As a good way to spend time together they decided to cuddle up with a blanket on the sofa and watch a movie.

And so it was that the two youngsters sat under a blanket on the living room sofa with a lit fireplace watching home alone. Once the movie was over Ben spoke

"Hey do you want some chocolate cake?"

Gwen stared at him

"I didn't know you had chocolate cake"

"That's because this is a 'special' chocolate cake. It's just for you. You want some?"

Gwen thought for a moment. The whole situation seemed a little suspicious. She knew Ben was up to something but she wasn't sure what. In the end she decided to play along with him

"Sure" she said as Ben got up and headed for the kitchen. Gwen could hear the refrigerator door open and close and Ben returned to the sofa holding a small one person piece of chocolate cake. Gwen was about to bite into it when Ben spoke again

"By the way, there's a surprise in the cake so make sure not to eat it" he said a little slyly. This statement gave Gwen a good idea of what's in the cake but she wanted to see it to be sure. After a few bites she spotted something shiny in her cake. She extended two fingers and pinched the object out as she let out a soft gasp. In her hand was a diamond ring shinning right at her. The band was made of gold and the diamond was a silver shiny gem…

"Will you marry me?" asked Ben with a smile. Gwen simply looked at him and at the ring and then back at him again. She closed her hand around the ring and threw herself in Ben's arms

"You bet" she said happily as Ben returned the hug. Once separated they kissed passionately till they ran out of air. Ben slipped the ring onto Gwen's finger as they both smiled. They kissed again briefly and Ben said

"I love you"

"I love _you…"_ whispered his new fiancée as they smiled and leaned their heads on each other. They then cuddled up again as they slowly drifted into a peaceful and happy sleep…

To be continued…

A nice short chapter. What do you think? I hope you like it.

Reviews are most welcome…


	21. Chapter 21 revelation

Chapter 21 revelation

It was Christmas morning and the two parents were walking down the stairs to find the two cousins cuddled on the couch sleeping. Their parents smiled at the sight and went on to prepare breakfast. After a few minutes Ben's eyes flicked open to the sound of sizzling. He yawned and stretched his arms forward. He then saw Gwen's head leaning on his shoulder. He was reminded of the events of last night as his eyes made their way to her finger. He smiled and sighed happily at his decision to propose and that she accepted. Before long Gwen woke up too and peered into his eyes

"Hey beautiful…" said Ben softly as he kissed her softly on the lips

"How'd you sleep?" he asked

"Great and you?"

"Wonderful" said the man as they both smiled and got up. They walked towards the kitchen to be greeted by their parents

"Good morning sleepy heads" said Sandra as she took a sip from her coffee

"Morning Mom…" Said Ben

"How'd you guys sleep?" asked Carl

"We slept great" said his redheaded niece…

Later that day the two families sat together to eat Christmas lunch. After the first course was served Ben stiffened a little as he worked up the courage to speak up. Finally he began to talk

"Since you're all here Gwen and I have an announcement to make" said the man and he knew his family knew where this was going

"Show them honey…" he told Gwen as she extended her hand and showed everyone the engagement ring he gave her

"Hey! Congratulations!" said Carl

"That's great dear! I'm so happy for you…" said Sandra happily

"That's wonderful Gwenny. I'm so happy for you…" said Lily as she kissed her daughter

"Good for you guys…" said Frank with a smile. Even though he objected to them being a couple at first he eventually came to terms with it and eventually realized they really were meant for each other. Now that they're engaged he couldn't be happier. After they were done being congratulated the family went through a series of hugs and kisses to celebrate the occasion…

Later that day the two cousins drove up to meet with Grandpa Max to tell him the news. Ben drove while Gwen sat beside him as they parked outside his RV known as the rust bucket. They exited the car and knocked on the door. After a few seconds they heard footsteps and the door swung open

"Hey kids! Merry Christmas!" he said cheerfully as he leaned in for a hug

"How are you Grandpa?" asked Gwen

"I'm doing great. Just drinking a little hot chocolate. Come on in…" he said and beckoned them to come inside. They walked into the vehicle as Ben closed the door behind him

"So… to what do I owe the honor of having you guys visit me on Christmas?" said the man with a broad smile. Ben and Gwen exchanged smiles and blushed slightly

"We came to tell you something…" said Gwen as she reached out her hand to show him the ring… all Max could do was smile

"That's wonderful. I'm so happy for you guys" he smiled joyfully and hugged his two grandchildren

"I never knew I would have the privilege of becoming a great grandfather at my age…" he chuckled

"Grandpa!" yelled the two kids as they blushed and Max laughed wholeheartedly

"I'm just kidding… come on let's drink some hot chocolate for the occasion…"

"Moments later the tree Tennysons stood in the RV holding warm mugs of hot chocolate and toasted to Ben and Gwen's happy marriage...

To be continued…

Another short one…

Reviews are most welcome…


	22. Chapter 22 happy new year

Chapter 22 happy new year

It's been a week since Ben proposed to Gwen and it was time to start preparing for the wedding. We join our two heroes while speaking to a priest in a Protestant church on Beach St Bellwood…

"And who will be coming to the wedding?" asked the man

"Family and friends. It will be about twenty people in total" said Ben as he held Gwen's hand

"And you want the date to be February 22nd?"

"Yes" said Gwen as she beamed at her future husband

"Very good. Now if you follow me we'll do a rehearsal while you're here so we could get it out of the way…"

During the next few hours Ben and Gwen chose the band and the catering service and the reception hall. All that's left is to pick their outfits. Gwen decided to let Ben choose his outfit first. They stood in a local clothes store as Ben browsed one of the suits

"See any suits you like?" asked Gwen

"Yeah, my birthday suit…" said Ben as Gwen laughed. Finally he found a suit he liked and went into the booth to try it on. When he returned he was wearing leather black shoes, black pants, a white shirt with a bow tie and a black vest.

"Well? How do I look?"

"You look wonderful. I like it"

"Really?" said Ben as he walked into a mirror and checked himself out. He whistled softly

"Not bad… I like it…"

Moments later the couple walked to the women's section of the store as Gwen looked at a pretty white dress with a nice silver necklace to go with it

"Wow look at that…"said Gwen in awe as she reached for the dress. To her pleasure she felt it was made of cotton and silk

"I gotta try this" she said as she picked up the dress and went to change her clothes. When she returned Ben's jaw dropped and his face turned red. Gwen giggled at his reaction

"I take it you like it"

"No" he said and she looked a little offended

"I don't like it. I love it. You look wonderful in it…"

Gwen smiled at his compliment

"Well it's settled. We got our outfits…"

Gwen returned to the booth to put her normal cloths back on and once she was out the couple went to pay for their clothes. When they returned to Ben's house they put their new stuff in his closet. As a gift from their family and friends, they will have their own house and once the wedding is over they were itching to move into it. So itching that the two cousins began to pack already. Ben walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water. He drank it up and stood in the door way to the kitchen as Gwen approached him. When she was standing in front of him she spoke

"Hey Ben?"

"Hmm?"

"Happy new year" she said happily and looked up. To Ben slight surprise, hanging from the top of the doorway was mistletoe

"You too, honey… you too…" he said happily and leaned in for a kiss…

To be continued…

Prepare yourself… for the wedding of the year… coming up next on chapter 23…

(Slides and postcards will be available in the lobby…)


	23. Chapter 23 wedding day

Chapter 23 wedding day

It's been nine years since Ben and Gwen became a couple and they have been very happy. On Christmas Eve Ben proposed to his sweetheart and today is the day they get married. We rejoin our two lovebirds while getting ready at the church. Ben was checking himself in the mirror while Gwen was having her bride dress inspected by the bridesmaids

"Hey Ben something just occurred to me"

"What's that Gwen?"

"Back when we were ten when we went to Camille's wedding. You were the ring bearer and I was supposed to be the flower girl which meant we were supposed to dance at the reception. But since Cousin Lucy replaced me we danced only briefly in the rust bucket only to be interrupted by grandpa. So I thought it would be nice if we dance together today at the reception only that this time it will be our own wedding…"

Gwen could see Ben smile as he looked into the mirror

"I'd like that. Very much…" said Ben as the bridesmaids finished working on Gwen's dress and Ben finished preparing in front of the mirror. So he got up and went to the alter to wait for his bride to be. He stood there beside his parents wearing a nice tuxedo as the priest stood by the podium as everyone waited for Gwen. After a few minutes she appeared at the entrance accompanied by her father. They walked together until they reached the alter and Gwen and her father walked on and the crowd became silent

"Dearly beloved: we are gathered here today, to witness the union of these two fine people: Ben and Gwen Tennyson. While society frowns upon cousin marriage the good book does not which makes this marriage a spiritually and religiously legal one. If anyone here for any reason thinks these two should not be wed let him speak now or forever hold his peace…"

The priest paused for a moment and once he saw no one spoke up he proceeded to the vows

"I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride…" said the priest as Ben lifted the fabric covering Gwen's face and kissed her passionately as the crowd applauded. The two cousins began to walk down the aisle as everyone threw rice at them. Once they were done giving hugs and kisses to family and friends they climbed into the limousine that would take them to the reception…

Ben was as good as his word; he danced with Gwen at their wedding just like he promised. By the time the wedding was over the couple was exhausted and drunk from all the food and party atmosphere. When the party was over they drove to their new house they longed for, for so long and walked in. They were so tired from their wonderful day that they went straight to sleep without even checking out their new house. And they slept well…

To be continued…

After more than twenty chapters this massive story is nearing its end. I hope you've enjoyed it so far and I would like to thank everyone for all their reviews and support…

Peace out…


	24. Chapter 24 surprise

Chapter 24 surprise

It's been a few weeks since Ben and Gwen have gotten married and we rejoin them during breakfast. Ben was sitting at the table drinking a cup of coffee while Gwen was eating some cereal. It's hard to believe they're a married couple considering that they're cousins and that they used to fight a lot as kids. But all that is history now because several weeks ago they married each other on their 22nd birthday.

Suddenly Gwen stirred

"Oh man I don't feel so good…" she said as she held her stomach. She then got up from her seat and ran to the bathroom. Shortly afterwards Ben could her sounds of vomiting. Filled with concern Ben put his coffee down and went after her. After a few minutes Gwen stopped vomiting and straightened up

"Are you okay Gwen? What happened?"

"I don't know. Maybe I got a virus…"

"I hope not…" said Ben and approached her and placed a hand on her forehead

"Your temperature seems fine. Maybe you should stay home today…"

Gwen nodded as she turned around and vomited some more as her husband looked at her sadly

Unfortunately for Gwen the vomiting failed to cease during the next few days so the couple decided to seek medical help. They got into Ben's car and drove to meet up with their family doctor…

An hour later…

Ben and Gwen were sitting in the doctor's office as he examined Gwen. When he used the stethoscope and placed it on her stomach he smiled widely

"Mr. Tennyson you'll be happy to know that you're young wife here is pregnant…"

Both Ben and Gwen's eyes widened in shock

"Are you sure?" asked Gwen

"Positive. I advise you to start taking ultrasound tests on a regular basis to make sure the baby is alright"

"You bet. Thanks Dr. Gibbon" said Gwen happily as she beamed at him while he removed the device from his ears

"My pleasure. I wish you two luck and a smooth pregnancy"

"You bet. Thanks again…" said the couple as they left his office. Once the door was closed behind them they couldn't help but squeal with joy as Gwen hopped slightly in her place

"This is great Ben. You're going to be a father…"

"And you're going to be a mother…" he said happily and kissed her forehead as they walked back to the car.

During the next few months the two cousins went to ultrasound once every two weeks and every time they went there they were happy to see their child healthily grow. It wasn't until a few months went by that they received a shock

"Good morning Mrs. Tennyson. How are you feeling today?" said the nurse as Gwen lay on the bed while Ben sat by her side holding her hand

"I'm great. Let's see how the little one is doing…" she said as the picture appeared on the screen

"Would you look at that…" said the nurse happily as she smiled

"What?" said Gwen slightly alarmed

"It looks like you don't have one little one but two…." She said happily and beamed at the future mother. The two cousins exchanged surprised looks

"I have twins?" asked Gwen in disbelief

"Yes you do. Two girls to be exact… congratulations…" said the nurse happily as the couple smiled with joy

"You hear that dear? You're gonna have a sister to play with…" said Ben softly to Gwen stomach as he rubbed it gently

"Yes you will…" he cooed as everyone laughed…

As the months went by Gwen's abdomen grew larger and larger and her discomfort grew. But despite the discomfort they were both happy as could be.

Before long it was October and the ninth month was in. The two cousins sat on the couch watching a movie peacefully. Until…

"Ben?" said the young women

"Yeah?"

"My water broke…"

To be continued…

Nothing like a good old cliffhanger to get you guys going right? Don't worry, the next chapter will hopefully be coming soon. Prepare yourself for the miracle of the beginning of a new life…


	25. Chapter 25 the miracle of birth

Chapter 25 the miracle of birth

As soon as Ben heard Gwen say these words he helped her up and they walked to his car. He helped her lie down in the back seat and he sat in the driver's seat and they sped to the hospital. Before long the contractions started and Gwen started screaming in pain. Ben squeezed harder on the gas pedal as he honked the horn to get people out of the way. When he blasted through a red light he heard a siren and saw a blue flashing lights in his mirror...

"Oh no..." he moaned as he stopped the car. Seconds later an officer approached his window and spoke up

"You mind telling me why you blasted through a red light sir?" He asked sternly

"I'm sorry officer, it's just I'm in a real hurry. My wife she's..." he trailed off and looked behind him. To the officer's surprise there was s red headed women lying in the back seat in the process of giving birth

"I'm sorry sir I didn't know there was an emergency. I'll give you a police escort so you could get to the hospital faster. Stay behind my patrol car and we'll be there in no time..."

Thank you officer..." said Ben as the cop turned to Gwen before leaving

"Don't worry about a thing ma'am you and the baby are gonna be just fine..." he said as Gwen managed a nod and the officer returned to his car. The Tennysons spent the next few minutes racing to the hospital behind a police car blaring it's siren. When they reached the entrance to the hospital they stopped with a tire screech as Ben opened the door and helped his cousin/wife get on her feet. He locked the car and helped her walk in

"I hope you have a smooth birth!" yelled the cop from his car as Ben thanked him. Seconds later they entered the emergency room and asked for help. Moments later Gwen was placed on a stretcher and was rushed to the delivery room. Once inside the process began. Gwen was screaming in pain as she pushed as hard as she could while Ben held her hand...

It's been an hour since the birth process started and the first girl was just about to be born

"Come on Gwen you can do it... you're almost there..." said her husband as a sound of crying filled the room

It's a girl..." said the doctor with joy as the couple's faces lit with happiness

Minutes later the second baby was born and once they were both cleaned off Gwen held them tightly as Ben sat beside her. Both girls had green eyes just like their parents but the older one had orange hair like her mother and the younger one had brown hair like her father...

"Way to go Gwen..." said Ben happily as he kissed his exhausted but happy wife

"They're so beautiful..." said Gwen with tears of joy in her eyes. Even Ben was crying a little

"Welcome to the family little ones..." said Ben softly as he stroked their heads gently

They still need a name though..." pointed out Gwen

"That's true. Any ideas?"

Gwen thought for a moment before she answered

"Why don't we call the brown haired one Helen?"

"Helen is good. I like it..." said Ben as he stroked her cheek with the tip of his finger

"And the red haired one we could call Alice..." he added

"Sounds good to me..." said the tired but happy mother as she yawned

"Why don't you get sleep sweeitie? You sure earned it and you definitely deserve it..."

Gwen yawned again before she answered

"Maybe I'll rest a little yeah..." she said and before anyone could say anything else she was out. Ben chuckled at how fast she fell asleep as he kissed her cheek

"I love you Gwen... I'm so proud of you..." he whispered in her ear and kissed her again on the cheek as he stroked his daughtets' cheeks once more and left the room to get some sleep himself...

To be continued...

Would you look at that... Ben and Gwen are now a father and a mother... will the able to handle two kids at once and what does the future hold for this cute little family? The answered lie in the next few chapters of the Tennysons go east...

Stay tuned...


	26. Chapter 26 parenting

Chapter 26 parenting

It's been two years since the girls were born and they brought a lot of joy the family. We rejoin our happy family on the girls' second birthday.

The two toddlers sat on high chairs as Gwen set two cakes on the table; one for each of them. There was also a fifth member of the family in the room. Several months ago Gwen gave birth to a third child. This time it was a boy and they named him Daniel. He is named after a friend of his parents. It was no coincidence that he came to visit them at the hospital when he was born. Ironically the adult Daniel looked a lot like his little counterpart. The little tyke lay in his crib while the rest of the family celebrated the girls' birthday. The girls blew out the candles as their parents applauded and they began to eat the cake.

It has been several months since Ben finished medical school. Now he was an intern in the delivery room of the local hospital. After some hesitation Ben decided he wants be a doctor who helps deliver babies. Witnessing the birth of his two daughters made him reach that decision…

Later that night…

Ben got into his bed next to Gwen who was lying in her own bed reading a book.

"Well I'd say that was nice celebration…" he noted

"Yeah. It was good to see the girls so happy…"

"Yeah they had quite a bit of fun playing with their food"

Gwen smirked and chuckled at Ben's comment. Before long the couple went to sleep only to be interrupted by the soft sound of crying

"Ben's eyes flickered open as he moaned in tiredness and lifted his head above the pillow. He looked around him to look for the sound of the noise until he came to his senses. He yawned loudly as he moved to the side of the bed and got up

"I got it…" he said tiredly and walked to Daniel's room. Once there he picked him up and hugged him tightly and rubbed his back and sat down on a chair. He soothed his young son until he fell back to sleep. He then placed him back in his crib and tucked him in. Ben took his son's teddy bear and placed it next to his head and leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the forehead

_"Sweet dreams baby… Daddy loves you…"_ he whispered and walked back to his room. When he laid back in bed Gwen spoke

"Is Daniel asleep?" she asked sleepily

"Yeah"

"Good…" muttered Gwen as the two parents drifted to sleep…

Ben and Gwen never knew parenting was such a difficult job. Ever since the girls were born they had a lot of sleepless nights and stinky situations to deal with. But it was all worth it for all the joy it brought…

To be concluded…

The next chapter is the last one and in it are a few surprises I saved for the very end of the story. I hope you like it so far and thanks for all the support…

Doc boy out…


	27. Chapter 27 a snowy surprise

Chapter 27 a snowy surprise

It's been six years since the girls were born and four years since Daniel was born. It seems only yesterday that the little tykes were born…

Date: December 23th 2014

The Tennysons were boarding a flight that will take them to their Christmas vacation. They went through security and were now sitting in the plane waiting to take off

"Mommy, what's Israel like?" asked Alice

"It's nice. A lot of history there…"

"History? I don't want to learn about history during our trip…." Said Daniel

"Don't worry there won't be much history. We're just going to have a good time…" said the mother as the plane taxied to the runway and before long they were airborne. The flight to Israel was a long and tiring one. The family was happy to land when they did. Once they got their luggage and went through passport control they left the terminal and took a cab to Jerusalem…

The cab stopped in front of a tall building with some antennas on the roof. On the side of it near the roof was a sign that read

"Crown Plaza"

"Is this where we're going to be staying?" asked Helen

"Yup. This is the place…" said Ben as the family entered the hotel and ordered a big suit that could habitat all five of them. Once inside they put their bags down and went straight to sleep as the sun set beneath the horizon…

The next morning the family was surprised to wake up to find the city covered in snow.

"Yay! Snow!" cried Alice with joy

"Can we go play in the snow Mommy? Please, please?" said Alice while jumping up and down in her place

"We're gonna do something even better. We're gonna drive up to Mount Hermon up north where there is a lot of snow. According the weather information there's a lot of snow there. We could build a snowman…" said the red haired mother and she kneeled down to face her daughter

"Yay!" yelled Alice

Moments later the family got into a cab and went to a car rental agency to get a car that will drive them to Mount Hermon and back. Once inside they fastened their seatbelts and drove off. The drive to the mountain took several hours. During that time the kids fell asleep in the back of the car until they pulled up in the parking lot of a tall mountain covered in snow…

"Kids, we're here…" said Ben as he turned to look at the back seat to see his children waking up. Once they paid for entering the national park they were pleased to see nothing but snow around them

"Race you to the top!" cheered Alice as Helen followed

"Hey no fair! You're faster than me!" yelled Daniel as he tried to keep up. The parents laughed at the kids' energetic behavior as they followed them

"They kind of remind me of us back when we were ten…" said Ben

"Yeah…" said his wife/cousin

After a few minutes the kids got tired of running up the mountain and stopped to rest and make snow angles while the parents sat on the snow and watched. Before long the whole family was busy building a snow man when someone approached them. He had his wife with him and two girls. One seemed to be about fifteen years old and other seemed to be about twelve years old

"Ben? Gwen? Is it really you?" he asked in shock. The parents turned to look at him as their eyes lit up with joy

"Michael!" they both said in happiness as they got up to give him a hug

"I haven't seen you in years. How've you been?" said the man

"We've been fine. We here on a vacation with our kids…"

"You're kids? You mean you two…?" he trailed off as he realized what they just said

"Yep. Even though we're cousins we decided to marry each other and thankfully our families approved of us…"

"That's so great! I'm so happy for you guys… I had a feeling about you two back in the day…" said the man with a wide smile only to have it returned by the couple in front of him. The two families spent the next few minutes introducing their families to each other.

"This is my Michal, and these are my daughters Yael and Shira…"said Michael as he pointed at his wife and then at his older daughter and then the younger one

"There are our children. These are Alice, Helen and Daniel…" said Ben as he pointed at his children according to age of birth

"And this is Gwen of course who happens to be my wife and cousin…" he said and wrapped his arm around her waist

"Nice to meet you…" said Michal and shook their hands

"I think it's nice that you overcame social stigma and followed your hearts and married each other despite being cousins…" she added and smiled

"Thanks Michal. That means a lot…" they said and smiled back

Afterwards Ben and Gwen sat on the snow catching up with their old friend and his wife and promised to stay in touch…

They had three wonderful kids, the best jobs they could ever ask for and had the happiest life they could ever wish for…

All was well…

And they lived happily ever after…

The end…

I would like to thank all of you for your support and reviews during this big and wonderful story. It has broken a few records and it was fun to write and I'll miss working on it. I hope you enjoyed it and that you liked the ending of this big and unique story where Ben and Gwen visit Israel and slowly fall in love... Thanks again for all the help and support…

Peace out…


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